Johns exhibition draws South Carolinians to Washington

Enjoying lunch last Saturday, February 3, in the Lafayette Room at the Hay- Adams Hotel overlooking the White House are Columbia architect Michael Kohn's daughters (l- r) Marta in hat, Jocelyn, and Morgen. Australian Roland Karnatz, boyfriend of Kohn's sister Melanie, sits to the right. Melanie was in Boston Saturday hearing auditions for her and Roland's opera summer festival in Rome, and she could not join the group.

By John Temple Ligon

Temple@TheColumbiaStar.com

Also in the Lafayette Room were Mr. and Mrs. Bob Hughes seated with Mr. and Mrs. Mack Whittle, all of Greenville. And at another nearby table were educator Pat Earle and her daughter Sarah seated with Washington's Lisa Pamplinoma and Columbia's Margaret Clarkson, now of Washington. At the head of the table with the four women was John Temple Ligon.

Before lunch, the Lafayette Room crowd of 14 was in the East Building of the National Gallery of Art with another 10 South Carolinians. The organized tour was from 10 until 11 that morning. Columbia's Jasper Johns had an exhibition of 90 of his works from 1955 through 1965 installed on two floors, to include "False Start," which sold last fall for $80 million. Joining the South Carolinians were 20 or so art followers from all over, crowding out the galleries and closing in to hear their docent Ligon.