Thayer Tolles is Marica F. Vilcek Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. A sculpture specialist, she served as editor and co-author of a two-volume catalogue of The Met’s historical American sculpture collection (1999, 2001) and has lectured and published extensively on nineteenth- and early twentieth-century topics. Among her exhibitions are Augustus Saint-Gaudens in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2009) and The American West in Bronze, 1850-1925 (2013-15), both accompanied by publications. Dr. Tolles contributed to the museum’s sesquicentennial exhibition and publication, Making The Met, 1870-2020 (2020) and was curator of A Decade on Paper, which surveys recent acquisitions of works on paper in The Met’s American Wing (2024-25). A graduate of Williams College, Dr. Tolles holds a Ph.D. from the City University of New York Graduate Center.
Albany Institute of History and Art (125 Washington Ave, Albany, NY 12210)
Norman S. Rice Memorial Lecture - Carving His Path: Erastus Dow Palmer and New York
Free with museum admission
Working from his Albany studio, Erastus Dow Palmer (1817–1904) catapulted to fame as a leading American sculptor in the 1850s and 60s. Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Thayer Tolles will trace his rise to success in an illustrated talk focusing on how New York was central to advancing his career. Relying on the Empire City to display, market, and sell his marbles, Palmer set American sculpture on a new course and inspired a younger generation of artists. This program is presented in conjunction with the current exhibition, Your Friend, Frederic E. Church, which investigates the long friendship between Palmer and eminent landscape painter Church through letters, paintings, and sculptures.
The Norman S. Rice Memorial Lecture series honors Norman’s legacy of collecting, preservation, and scholarship, and continues his commitment to sharing the richness of New York’s cultural heritage with the public.
Norman S. Rice was an integral part of the Albany Institute of History & Art and the Albany cultural community for nearly 70 years. Beginning with his arrival as curator in 1953, and through his 19-year tenure as director, Norman devoted his time and expertise to the growth and national recognition of the Institute. Even after he retired in 1986 and was granted the title of Director Emeritus, Norman continued to be an advocate for the Institute until he passed away in 2021. Many of the great treasures that visitors and researchers to the Albany Institute enjoy and appreciate today came to us through Norman’s diligent and unstinting efforts.
Over the decades, Norman visited countless private collections and guided several important donations to the Institute. He attended numerous auctions, explored galleries and shops, and donated many exceptional treasures himself, all to enrich the museum’s holdings.
