To honor and commemorate the life and accomplishments of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020), the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London has just installed a large-scale portrait of Ginsburg by artist Jac Lahav, which will be on view through Oct. 18. Admission to the museum is free to all through the end of September.

Lahav, who currently lives in Lyme, first painted Ginsburg as part of his series "48 Jews," which was exhibited at the Jewish Museum in 2008.

The portrait of Ginsburg currently on view at the Lyman Allyn is part of Lahav’s series "The Great Americans (2010–Present)," which includes more than 32 life-sized portraits (80-by-32 inches each).

The series weaves a story about the history of portrait painting in the age of the internet, exploring questions of image, representation, celebrity and achievement.

In his portrait, Lahav painted Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg from a widely known photograph. She wears one of her signature collars, but instead of traditional black judicial robes, Lahav imagines her in a dynamic pantsuit with a bright shirt beneath. On the ground below, the artist reproduces a figure of Justice from a painting by Raphael.  

Lahav has exhibited "The Great Americans" in four solo museum exhibitions, most recently at the Florence Griswold Museum in 2019.

The Lyman Allyn Art Museum is located at 625 Williams St., New London. It is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Call (860) 443-2545 or visit us www.lymanallyn.org.