Medicine & Art: Health Care Portrayed

Combing through images of health care workers as early as the frescoes of classical Rome, we’ll explore how the depictions of medical professionals, instruments and settings has changed over the years. The images we’ll examine are often serious, but sometimes funny and even ridiculous. Among others, we’ll view the work of artists including Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Eakins, Vuillard and Jan Steen. We’ve invited maven Charlie Goldberg to guide us through a historical and fascinating look at the depiction of doctors, dentists, nurses, and hospitals over time.

Charlie Goldberg is a former Emergency Room physician, who in his retirement has been involved in talking about art. He is a docent at both the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and the Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD). He also presents courses on art and photography at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).