Lincoln Kirstein

This 1965 portrait of Lincoln Kirstein (1907-1996) by Jamie Wyeth hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.

“Poet, critic, magazine editor, and novelist Lincoln Kirstein above all played a central role in shap­ing America's classical ballet tradition. Obsessed with dance from an early age, Kirstein brought choreo-grapher George Balanchine of Russia's Diaghilev Ballet to the United States in the early 1930s, and together they founded the School of American Ballet. Their collaboration continued, and in 1948 they established the New York City Ballet, with Kirstein serving as general director until 1989. He also founded the Dance Archives of the Museum of Modern Art, which became the basis of the Dance Collection of the New York Public Library. The artist, Jamie Wyeth, was only nineteen when he completed this painting.” – National Portrait Gallery