The Frost hosts author of ‘Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of A Cursed Gem’

According to folklore, the Hope Diamond, with its brilliant gray-blue color, was cursed when it was snatched from an idol in India. The curse bestowed bad luck and even death to its owner and anyone who touched it.

The Hope Diamond is housed at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C.

The story of the Hope Diamond has survived centuries. With its rich history – owned by King Louis XIV, stolen during the French Revolution and eventually donated to the Smithsonian Institution – the infamous diamond draws thousands of visitors each year to its home in Washington, D.C.

Richard Kurin, author of Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem and under secretary for history, art and culture at the Smithsonian Institution, will speak March 4 at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. Hosted by the Frost Art Museum, the talk is part of the Steven & Dorothea Green Critics’ Lecture Series.
Replicas of the Hope Diamond are currently on view in the museum’s permanent collection gallery and will be on display through March 4.

Kurin, whose background is in cultural anthropology, will discuss the impact the diamond has had across different cultures and societies throughout history.

At the Smithsonian, Kurin oversees the Anacostia Community Museum; Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art; Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; National Museum of African American History and Culture; National Museum of African Art; National Museum of American History; National Museum of the American Indian and its George Gustav Heye Center; National Portrait Gallery; National Postal Museum; and Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery.

He has worked with the Smithsonian Institution since 1976.

The event is free and open to the public.