Leonard Baskin: Leaders of the Constitution, 1787
June 6 – September 3, 2026
Focus Friday Gallery

In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, LRMA presents Leonard Baskin: Leaders of the Constitution, 1787, a powerful series of portraits honoring the visionaries who shaped the foundation of American democracy. Originally commissioned in 1975 by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council for America’s Bicentennial (1976), Baskin’s compelling portraits capture twelve influential delegates of the Constitutional Convention, including Edmund Randolph, William Paterson, and Roger Sherman, alongside familiar figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and George Washington. A selection of six portraits are accompanied by interpretive texts detailing each delegate’s role in the 1787 Convention, this exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the debates, compromises, and convictions that forged a representative government and continue to shape our nation today.

Image credit: Leonard Baskin  (American, 1922-2000), George Washington, from the Leaders of the Constitution, 1787: Pennsylvania Humanities Council series, 1975, Photo-offset lithograph, 25 x 17 in., Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, St. Petersburg College, gift of Lothar J. Uhl in honor of Lynn Whitelaw, first LRMA director, 2012.2.63