Charles Parkhurst joined the staff of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1941 as an assistant curator. He left soon thereafter for military service in World War II, serving in Europe as an officer with the U.S. Army's Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Section. He returned to the National Gallery in 1971 as assistant director, retiring from that position in 1983. Parkhurst described his education and his work at the National Gallery before the war and recalled many of the early curatorial staff and administrative officers. He recounted his experiences in Europe during World War II and the controversy surrounding the Berlin paintings and their shipment to the National Gallery. He described the circumstances of his return to the National Gallery in 1971, the organization and functions of the office of the assistant director, and especially events surrounding the conservation controversy of the late 1970s. He described construction of the East Building and its impact on the National Gallery, development of some of the art commissions for the new building, and establishment of the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts.
