During the summer of 2008, cultural organizations across St. Louis will be hosting an international centennial celebration of the life and work of American sculptor Harriet Hosmer (1830-1908). In conjunction with these events, the Kemper Art Museum has planned an exhibition in the Teaching Gallery to showcase Hosmer's works in the collections of Washington University and the Saint Louis Art Museum.

An important American sculptor in the neoclassical tradition, Hosmer produced some of her most significant work for St. Louisans, including her first large-scale figurative work, Oenone (1854-55), which will be on display. Commissioned by Wayman Crow, one of the founders of Washington University, the sculpture depicts the mythological wife of Paris, whom he deserted in favor of Helen. This work was completed in Rome, where Hosmer studied under the English neoclassical sculptor John Gibson.