German Embassy Announces Event Series Commemorating Alexander von Humboldt
150 Years After His Death

Alexander von Humboldt - Remapping Global Perspectives, May 2 through May 7

A man ahead of his time, Alexander von Humboldt (September 14, 1769 - May 6,
1859) is known throughout the world as a result of his five-year research
expedition to the New Continent. In addition to his work as a research
explorer, naturalist, and scientist, he is also remembered as an early
advocator for human rights and a pioneer in the field of ecology. The German
Embassy announces a week-long series of events in Washington, DC, coinciding
with the 150th anniversary of Humboldt's death: Alexander von Humboldt --
Remapping Global Perspectives, May 2 through May 7, 2009.

Organized by Dr. Frank Holl and the German Embassy in cooperation with the
German Historical Institute, the Goethe-Institut, the Library of Congress,
and the Smithsonian Associates

Research Explorer Alexander von Humboldt: A New Vision of the World
Saturday, May 2, 10 am - 2 pm

In this half-day symposium at the German Embassy, Humboldt scholar Dr. Frank
Holl will present highlights of the life of this extraordinary researcher and
explorer, whose goal was "to examine the interweaving and interacting of all
the forces of nature." Humboldt's concept of global thinking and his
political and scientific influence in the Americas are among the topics to be
addressed.

Organized by the Smithsonian Associates in cooperation with the German Embassy
Location: German Embassy Auditorium, 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC
20007
Tickets: Resident Members $60; General Admission $80. A catered lunch will be
served.
For information and tickets: www.ResidentAssociates.org or 202-633-3030

Alexander von Humboldt - A Man for the 21st Century
Monday, May 4, 6 pm

The German Historical Institute will host a roundtable discussion with
scholars from the US and Germany whose specializations in history,
literature, Germanic studies, and science led them to study the work of
Humboldt.

Participants include Dr. Ottmar Ette (Institute for Romance Language Studies,
University of Potsdam), Dr. Andreas Daum (Department of History, University
at Buffalo), and Dr. Kristen Belgum (Germanic Studies Department, University
of Texas at Austin). Independent Humboldt scholar Dr. Frank Holl will moderate.

Organized by the German Historical Institute
Location: German Historical Institute, 1607 New Hampshire Avenue, Washington,
DC 20009
Free of charge. RSVP to 202-387-3355 or eventsghi.dc.org

The World Consciousness of Alexander von Humboldt
Tuesday, May 5, 6:30 pm

In this lecture at the Goethe-Institut, Dr. Ottmar Ette, Chair of Romance
Literature at the University of Potsdam, will examine how Alexander von
Humboldt developed his own concept of Weltbewusstsein (world consciousness)
and an empirical grounding for his theories on globalization and scientific
and literary concepts.

Organized by the Goethe-Institut
Location: Goethe-Institut, 812 Seventh Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Free of charge. RSVP to 202-289-1200 (ext. 164) or rsvpwashington.goethe.org

Mourning, Celebrating, Revisiting: Alexander von Humboldt in the United
States, 1859-2009
Wednesday, May 6, 3 pm

In this lecture at the Library of Congress, Dr. Andreas Daum, History
Professor at the University at Buffalo, will discuss Alexander von Humboldt's
influence and legacy in the United States and how Humboldt became a cultural
hero during the second half of the 19th century.

Organized by the European Division and the John W. Kluge Center of the
Library of Congress, the German Historical Institute, and the German Embassy
Location: Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Building, Room 119
Free of charge. Reception to follow.

Humboldt's Influence on 19th-Century American Artists
Thursday, May 7, 7 pm

The German Embassy will host two lectures to examine Alexander von Humboldt's
influence on American landscape painting and photography in the nineteenth
century. The work of Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900), a central figure in
the Hudson River School of American landscape painters, will be examined in
detail.

Humboldt's Influence on American Landscape Painting
Dr. Eleanor Harvey, Chief Curator of the Smithsonian American Art Museum,
will look at Humboldt's influence on 19th-century American landscape painters
and photographers and how Humboldt's Cosmos changed the artists'
understanding of geological processes.

Church, the Artist, on the Trail of Humboldt in Ecuador
Dr. Kevin J. Avery, Associate Curator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, will
illuminate F.E. Church's response to the Humboldt's invocation to artists to
represent equatorial America, tracing Church's 1853 and 1857 journeys along
Humboldt's 1802 route in Ecuador and examining his most famous painting, The
Heart of the Andes, now in The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Organized by the German Embassy
Location: German Embassy Auditorium, 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC
20007
Free of charge. Seating is limited; reservations are required. RSVP to
eventwash.diplo.de

For more information on this series of events, please visit
www.Germany.info/Humboldt