Portrait of Pierre Monteux

Hoffman, Irwin D., 1901-1989 · 1959

This half-length portrait depicts Pierre Monteux, the esteemed French-born conductor who led orchestras at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra, among other notable orchestras in Europe and America. The portrait depicts the tux-clad Monteux standing above a music stand, raising a baton in his right hand while directing his other outstretched arm and gaze to his left, as though conducting musicians beyond the frame of the painting. This portrait of Monteux was originally displayed in the library’s Koussevitzsky Room, named for Serge Koussevitzsky, the conductor who replaced him after his tenure at the Boston Symphony Orchestra.