WASHINGTON

Jac Lahav’s recent series is a group of Washington portraits. Using Gilbert Stuarts famous Athenaeum painting as a jumping off point. Lahav deconstructs ideas of icons, representation and the history of contemporary portraiture in the age of the internet. These paintings display a humor and wit that frequents Lahav’s other series while continuing to ask bigger questions like “how can we celebrate historical figures AND critique them at the same time.”

Lahav lost his father at a young age which is why the idea of “founding fathers” became an interesting entry point into this work. Now a young father himself, Lahav is re-examining what it means to be a parent.  “When we are children, we see our parents either as infallible heroes or as evil tyrants. As we grow up our parents become more nuanced, complicated, and so very human.” Lahav thinks we can use this personal lens to decipher one of the most pressing questions facing us today, namely how to celebrate yet critique the pillars of our national history. 

Note: In these works Ruth Bader Ginsburg makes repeated appearances. Lahav thinks of RBG as a fascinating contrast to George Washington. She is the contemporary feminist icon and a pivotal counterpoint to Washington as another the old white man in history.