Painting's removal causes controversy

By Lauren McGlone
Senior Staff Writer
December 6, 2006

At a leading medical research and education facility, one piece of artwork is being sold for millions of dollars. That facility is Thomas Jefferson University, and the painting of particular interest is Thomas Eakins’ The Gross Clinic.

The painting, created in 1875, is Eakins’ masterpiece depicting Professor Samuel D. Gross among a group of students. Those in the foreground are removing a tumor from an individual while a horrified woman looks on from behind. Eakins himself can be found in the painting, as he inserted his own self-portrait.

Since its purchase in 1878, the painting has resided in the halls of Thomas Jefferson University. In only a few weeks, for the right price, it will hang in some other institution.

The Board of Trustees at Jefferson has accepted an offer of $68 million arranged by Christie’s auction house in New York City. Sales have thus far been authorized to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as well as to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark. For 45 days after Nov. 11, local art museums and government institutions will have the opportunity to bid on the painting.

Money from the sale of the painting will be used to fund the future expansion of Thomas Jefferson University. Officials at the institution would like to plan an extension of the campus near and around Washington Square, complete with new buildings and greenery.

As told to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Jefferson President Robert Barchi makes clear that the sale is financially-based.

“We’re not a museum. We’re not in the business of art education,” Barchi said.

There is much history involved in this case, first in the sale of the work and second in the history of the piece itself.

First, the offer of $68 million is the highest price ever paid for a work by Eakins. It is also a record for any U.S. work created before World War II.

Second, the painting claims extraordinary historical significance. Eakins claimed that The Gross Clinic portrayed Philadelphia’s cultural advancements. However, when it was submitted for inclusion in the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, it was rejected due to its bloody nature. Shortly thereafter, the painting piqued the interest of Jefferson alumni and was purchased for $200 in 1878.

There has been opposition within the city, with some denouncing the decision to allow the painting to leave its home of over 125 years. According to some, the painting is viewed as a symbol of Philadelphia’s cultural history, and The Gross Clinic belongs in this city.

Kathleen Foster, curator of American Art at the Philadelphia Art Museum, told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “To let this painting go, the city would be letting Eakins down all over again.”

mcglonel1@lasalle.edu