John Morrell

Prof. John Morrell (1951–2025, C’73) was a beloved painter and Georgetown alumnus whose artistic journey began at the easels in Riggs Library. Though he majored in Psychology, he soon discovered his calling in art, earning an MFA from George Washington University and devoting more than five decades to teaching and mentoring. At Georgetown, he served as Chair of the Department of Art and Art History, Gallery Director, and with his prolific service on university and departmental committees he ultimately was awarded the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Renowned for his luminous paintings of landscapes, cityscapes, and quiet corners of life, Morrell once remarked, “I am often drawn to what I cannot see”—a sentiment that defined much of his later work. The pieces on view span his Three Cities, Scenes from the Streets, and American Landscapes series, including The Meadows, completed during his residency at Oxford, and White Gate, a familiar Georgetown view. 

His work has been widely exhibited, including solo shows in Washington, DC, New York, and Paris, and is held in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the U.S. Postal Museum, Georgetown and George Washington Universities, and many others. John Morrell will be remembered for one of his greatest gifts--his ability to recount a lifetime of shared moments with the same humane, illuminating insight with which he painted the world.