uncommon company: dissidents and diplomats, enemies and artists

Ambassador William Luers takes us on a fascinating journey from Springfield, Illinois, to Naples, Moscow, Washington DC, Venezuela, and Czechoslovakia, and then to his presidency at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, adventures in Cuba, and thereafter.

In his revelatory memoir Uncommon Company, William Luers shares stories of his incredible career as a US diplomat to European and Latin American nations, where he introduced art and culture to forge common ground and community, improving the lives of citizens in many countries closed to Western ideas. From touring the Soviet Union with playwright Edward Albee in the 1960s to bringing such famous writers and artists as John Updike, Arthur Miller, William Styron, Peter Matthiessen, Francine du Plessix Gray, Richard Diebenkorn, and Frank Stella to Venezuela and Prague during his ambassadorships in Venezuela and Czechoslovakia, Bill Luers’ practice of cultural diplomacy became known as his ability to wield ＂soft power＂ that strengthened US relationships wherever he served.

After more than thirty years with the State Department, Luers brought his art expertise to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art as its president, where he secured the Annenberg Collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works by such masters as Van Gogh, Picasso, and Cézanne, among many other accomplishments.

Uplifting and inspirational, William Luers’ Uncommon Company is the true story of a life well lived, celebrating the challenges and triumphs found in the virtues of being a servant leader.

William Luers served as a United States ambassador and Foreign Service diplomat for more than three decades with various posts in Europe and South America, before becoming President of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and President of the United Nations Association of the USA. A renowned speaker on foreign affairs, diplomacy, the UN, and the arts, Luers was an Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and Director of The Iran Project. He also served jointly on several corporate and nonprofit boards including the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, The National Museum of Natural History, and the Rubin Art Museum