National Portrait Gallery | Face to Face blog

Portrait of Fred Korematsu Unveiled, February 2, 2012

The journey to justice is often complex and arduous. After the prolonged internment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War, more than forty years passed before the United States government apologized for the internment of more than 120,000 citizens. Fred Korematsu, a young welder living in Oakland, California, was one of many Japanese Americans caught in what the United States government considered to be a security measure necessary after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

Korematsu challenged the government’s right to detain American citizens under President Franklin Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066, but lost his case in 1944. The legal protest was dormant until 1983, when Korematsu appealed to have the case reopened and was subsequently given a favorable judgment by the Supreme Court. Ultimately, thanks to Korematsu’s courageous and persistent stand, surviving victims of the internment were awarded $20,000 each.

Karen Korematsu, Fred Korematsu’s daughter, has given the National Portrait Gallery two photos that survived from the period before the internment. NPG has just placed those images on display in its “The Struggle for Justice” gallery. One is a portrait of Fred Korematsu, circa 1940, while the other is a photograph of several Korematsu family members in their nursery, circa 1939. Because the citizens who were forced into these camps were allowed to bring a limited number of possessions with them, many photos from the period prior to the internment were among the cultural possessions lost in the process.

“My grandfather took these photographs and hid them in the rafters of the packing house next to the flower nursery. . . . We felt very fortunate that when my family returned, the photographs were still there,” Karen Korematsu noted at the dedication, adding, “We’re very fortunate they are here today; these represent 120,000 Japanese American people who were interned.”

Karen and Ken Korematsu, children of Fred Korematsu

“I am delighted that these photographs will reside in the museum’s exhibition ‘The Struggle for Justice,’” said Martin Sullivan, director of the museum. “Korematsu’s courageous advocacy in the courts on behalf of interned Japanese Americans was essential to ending legislated segregation.”

Among those present at the dedication was former United States Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, who said, “We are eternally grateful to Fred for his act of defiance in 1942 and for his determination in the pursuit of justice.”

—Warren Perry, Catalog of American Portraits, National Portrait Gallery

Martin Sullivan, director of the National Portrait Gallery; Karen Korematsu, daughter of Fred Korematsu; Congresswoman Doris Matsui; The Honorable Norman Mineta; Floyd Mori, national executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League; and Congressman Mike Honda.

 

Fred T. Korematsu / Unidentified artist / Hand-colored gelatin silver print, 1940 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Fred T. Korematsu, Kakusaburo Korematsu, Katsui Korematsu, Junichi Korematsu,Takashi Korematsu,Hiroshi Korematsu / Unidentified artist / Gelatin silver print, 1939 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

 

Living People on Stamps & Portraits: Two Museums & the “Dead Enough” Rule

US stamp images © US Postal Service. All rights reserved

Part 1
Erin Marie Blasco, Public Programs Coordinator, Smithsonian National Postal Museum

This month, the U.S. Postal Service announced that living figures would be considered for commemoration on postage stamps. Its invitation to suggest names of living individuals in sports, entertainment, and other professions to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee elicited all-caps cries for a stamp portraying Lady Gaga, or perhaps Bruce Springsteen.

As an educator at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, it’s exciting to see people energized about postage stamps. People online and in the museum debate the merit of honoring one American figure over another and discuss what it actually means to have one’s face on a stamp. I’ll have to un-memorize my answer to frequently asked questions such as, “Why isn’t President Obama on a stamp yet?” and “When will there be a George Lucas stamp?”

In the past, I’d answer these questions by explaining that figures on U.S. stamps have to be deceased for at least five years. U.S. presidents are the only exception; they only need to be dead for a year before appearing on a stamp. Fictional figures like Mickey Mouse, Bart Simpson, and Miss Piggy stand outside the rule, of course. Now that the policy has changed, we have the opportunity to reflect on what it means to be on a stamp and which names are coming up most frequently for consideration.

This isn’t the first time the living/dead discussion has occurred. In 1945, for example a stamp (above) was issued honoring American achievements during World War II. A large group of soldiers is depicted with the Arc de Triomphe in the background. In the stamp, which is drawn from a black-and-white photograph, some of the soldiers in the front row are recognizable as individuals. But the stamp doesn’t break the “dead for five years” rule because it commemorates an event using a group, not individuals.

A number of countries don’t hesitate to issue stamps featuring living figures. Some do this to turn a profit from collectors, while others routinely put their living leaders on postage. Interested in who has already been commemorated on U.S. postage? Browse the Postal Museum’s virtual vault to see high-resolution images of stamps celebrating figures from George Washington (the first face on a U.S. postage stamp) to Zasu Pitts.

US stamp images © US Postal Service. All rights reserved

Part 2
Geri Provost Lyons, Youth & Family Program Coordinator, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

The conversation about living figures on stamps is somewhat familiar for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, which for many years collected only portraits of Americans who had been dead at least ten years, with the exception of U.S. presidents.

In 2001, the museum’s board of Commissioners agreed to change the bylaws to eliminate the “ten-year” rule. Since that time, the Portrait Gallery has actively collected portraits of living sitters in all mediums—photographs, time-based media, drawings, prints, paintings, sculpture, and mixed media.

The rule change also allowed for the commissioning and acquisition of contemporary portraits of living sitters, from many backgrounds and disciplines. For example, the first commission of a living sitter was of Eunice Kennedy Shriver by artist David Lenz; the second was of Bill and Melinda Gates by Jon Friedman. NPG has also collected portraits of such well-known Americans such as Martha Stewart, Yo Yo Ma, Norman Mineta, and Michelle Obama, to just name a few.

As an educator for the Portrait Gallery, I am thrilled when visitors can make a connection with a portrait of a living sitter. As of October 2011, 361 living Americans are represented in the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection, according to a recent database search. Use our online database to view portraits of living Americans in our permanent collection. Some of the living sitters may have more than one portrait in our collection, but only one has been selected. We hope you enjoy looking at these images!

US stamp images © US Postal Service. All rights reserved

Portrait Competition -- 10 Days Left To Enter!

Revision: The call for entries deadline has been extended to November 30, 2011

Hello from Portrait Competition central! I’m Laura, the intern dedicated to the 2013 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. From my cube at the Portrait Gallery I deal with it all: handling e-mails and phone calls, monitoring of all the submissions, and of course tweeting my enthusiasm—all competition, all the time.

While reviewing artist inquiries this morning, I was struck that there are only 10 more days to enter the triennial competition. The call for entries period has been quite an experience—the Portrait Competition team has laughed, cried (maybe not quite), and survived multiple natural disasters (really) . . . but most important, we’ve been truly blown away with the volume and artistic skill of submissions.

It’s been amazing to watch the hundreds and hundreds of entries pour in weekly, coming from everyone from art students to established professional portraitists. As a student of both art history and museum studies, I’m amazed by the diversity of media that artists are employing to help us figure out contemporary portraiture.

Entrants are exploring what it means to practice figurative art and pushing the boundaries of portraiture in exciting ways, through painting, time-based media, sculpture, digital media, and photography (to name just a few approaches).

As the interns who worked on the 2009 competition noted, I would definitely not want to have to be on the jury for this competition—it would be far too hard to choose.

The call for entries is open until October 31, 2011, so there’s still some time left to enter. We’d love to see what you have to say about the contemporary art of portraiture!

 

Now on View: Portrait of Bill and Melinda Gates

A portrait of Bill and Melinda Gates is now on view in the museum’s “Recent Acquisitions” exhibition on the first floor. The portrait was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery and unveiled this morning, in a private ceremony.

Bill Gates left Harvard as an undergraduate to write software for the earliest personal computers. His company, Microsoft, developed a computer operating system for wide-scale nontechnical use that spurred on the personal computer revolution begun in the 1980s. Microsoft remains a leader in the industry. Melinda French Gates has degrees in computer science, economics, and business, and was employed by Microsoft.

The couple created the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000 with the mission of helping all people live healthy, productive lives. Global priorities include improving health and boosting the productivity of small farms in poor countries; national initiatives include implementing partnerships to make sure students graduate from high school ready for college and helping local libraries provide free computer and Internet services

Jon Friedman, the portrait artist, grew up in Northern Virginia and is currently based in New York City and Truro, Massachusetts. His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions around the country. Many of his portrait subjects are leaders in the worlds of science, medicine, and technology, including David Baltimore, Maxine Singer, Harold Varmus, and Charles Vest. His work is in many private and institutional collections, including the American Philosophical Society, the Carnegie Institute of Washington, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Institutes of Health, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and the Royal Society.

The National Portrait Gallery’s Commission (its advisory board) selects individuals who are making a significant impact on American culture for commissioned portraits. The museum has a history of commissioning portraits of presidents and first ladies and most recently has presented a commissioned portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

This portrait of Bill and Melinda Gates was commissioned for the museum through the Marc Pachter Commissioning Fund, which was established in honor of a former director of the museum.

Bill and Melinda Gates / Jon R. Friedman (born 1947) / Oil and collage on canvas attached to wood panel / 127.3 x 117.2cm (50 1/8 x 46 1/8") / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquired through the Marc Pachter Commissioning Fund

Pedro Martinez on the Mound, in the NPG

Martin Sullivan, director of the National Portrait Gallery; Peter Gammons, ESPN (portrait donor); Susan Miller-Havens, artist; Pedro Martinez, and Gloria Gammons (portrait donor). Photo by Mark Gulezian, National Portrait Gallery.

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has recently acquired a painting of Pedro Martinez; this is the first image of the Major League Baseball pitcher in the collection. The museum installed the portrait on March 25 in its “Recent Acquisitions” exhibition.  The archived webcast of the presentaton ceremony can be viewed here.

Born in the Dominican Republic and an American citizen since 2006, Martinez was impressive in his debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers in September 1992. He had been told that he was too small to be a major-league power pitcher, yet from his first appearance he consistently overpowered the best hitters in the world.

Martinez won three Cy Young Awards (1997, 1999, 2000) in a span of four seasons and to date has a record of 219 wins and only 100 losses. In 2000, the very heart of the home-run/steroid era, he had an earned-run average of 1.74—more than three runs a game less than the American League average; he allowed only seventeen home runs in 217 innings pitched.

Martinez will always be remembered for the seven-year period when he established, in the words of baseball commentator Peter Gammons, “the most dominant stretch of any pitcher in baseball history.” He is an eight-time All Star who has pitched for five teams in his career, most recently with the Philadelphia Phillies. In addition, Martinez was a member of the World Series–winning Boston Red Sox in 2004, the first Red Sox team to win a championship in eighty-six years.

“We are thrilled to include this portrait of Pedro Martinez in the National Portrait Gallery’s collection,” said Martin Sullivan, director of the museum. “Martinez is widely recognized as one of the great Major League Baseball pitchers who also is concerned for the well-being of his larger community.”

The portrait was created by Susan Miller-Havens in 2000 with oil and beeswax on Baltic birch, and measures 57 inches by 21 inches. Miller-Havens is a contemporary American painter who has depicted a number of prominent athletes, in addition to creating other figurative pieces. This is the second of three portraits of Martinez that she created in her Cambridge, Massachusetts, studio.

Miller-Havens titled this portrait El Orgullo y Determinación (Pride and Determination) as a statement of Martinez’s accomplishment in overcoming obstacles and becoming one of the most dominant pitchers of baseball’s modern era. The Portrait Gallery’s collection includes another painting by the artist of former Major League Baseball catcher Carlton Fisk.

The portrait of Martinez is a gift to the museum from Gloria Trowbridge Gammons and Peter Warren Gammons in honor of Martinez, whose baseball career is paralleled by his lifelong work promoting educational opportunities for less fortunate children in America and his own Dominican Republic.

Pedro Martinez and artist Susan Miller-Havens. Photo by Mark Gulezian, National Portrait Gallery

 

Pedro  Martinez / Susan Miller-Havens / Oil and beeswax on birch panel, 2000 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Gloria Trowbridge Gammons and Peter Warren Gammons in honor of Pedro Martinez, whose baseball career has been paralleled by his life-long work promoting educational opportunities for less fortunate children in America and his own Dominican Republic

NPG Staff Profile: Lizanne Reger, Rights and Reproductions Coordinator

As part of our ongoing effort to share the operation of the National Portrait Gallery with our readers, here is a short Q and A with one of our staff members, Lizanne Reger.  

Q: As the National Portrait Gallery’s rights and reproductions coordinator, what does your job entail?

A: I primarily license the reproduction of images from the collection for scholarly publications, film, and the web. I work with the public on requests for reproduction for personal/research images and with our licensing agent in New York, who handles the large-scale print reproductions (textbooks, etc.). I also work with artists whose work is in the collection—and with their representatives—when handling requests that have copyright issues. I also work with NPG’s photographer to ensure that we have record photography of our collection. Occasionally, I’ll work with Smithsonian Enterprises on products featuring NPG collections for the gift shop.

Q: Where did you go to college and what is your training?

A: I graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where I received a B.A. in art history. I do have a photography background, but primarily my training comes from working in the R&R office before taking over as the R&R coordinator. I’m the only one in the office so I’m the coordinator as well as my own assistant. Thankfully, I’ve had several interns over the years who’ve helped me. Actually, I need a new one for the spring, if anyone is interested!

Q: How long have you lived in Washington?

A: Eight years this summer.

Q: What is your favorite portrait in our collection and why?

A: I have several “favorites” depending on which exhibition or department, but my new favorite is Ben Bernanke by Mark Wagner (shown at right, S/NPG.2010.57). The piece is a currency collage of $1 bills. You have to see it in person. A reproduction does not do it justice; plus it is copyright restricted.

Q: What is the most unusual or interesting request you have had come across your desk?

 A: Several years ago, I received a request to use one of our images as a hologram in U.S. passports. It required that we provide very large digital files of multiple views of the object. The image was then encrypted for security purposes so that it could not be forged. They didn’t tell me much more than that; it was TOP SECRET!

 

Ben Bernanke / Mark Wagner / Currency collage on panel, 2009 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; © Mark Wagner

Elvis’s Last Stand

"Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer" closes Sunday, January 23, 2011.

Kneeling at the Mosque, © Alfred Wertheimer. All rights reserved.

The National Portrait Gallery’s yearlong tribute to the king of rock and roll will conclude on January 23 as “Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer” closes and moves to its next venue, the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. However, as with all things Elvis, some noise will be made before the curtains are drawn.

The final event to commemorate the life of one of the world’s most recognized performers will be concert a featuring Elvis’s music from 1956, performed by Elvis tribute artist Scot Bruce. The show is written and narrated by Warren Perry, co-curator of the exhibition “Elvis at 21” and curator of last year’s One Life exhibition, “Echoes of Elvis.” Part of the Portrait Gallery’s Cultures in Motion Series, “Elvis Presley, Live in Concert” will be performed at the National Portrait Gallery’s Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium on Thursday, January 20, at 7:00 p.m.

“I guess if you have to wrap up a year of Elvis, a concert is the only way to do it, and this music—the early RCA sessions—is probably some of the best work Elvis ever produced. It is intense, well-crafted, and fundamental rock,” Perry said, adding, “It’s really the core of the Elvis canon.”

Both Elvis exhibitions were well received, and “Elvis at 21,” a Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service show, will continue its life on the road, going from the Michener Museum to the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas, this summer. “Elvis at 21” will also travel, to the Mobile Museum of Art in Alabama, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, and the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas.

“Elvis Presley, Live in Concert” is free, but seating is limited; for reservations, call 202-633-8520 or go to www.elvisat21.eventbrite.com.

To see an interview with Elvis photographer Al Wertheimer, visit our YouTube channel.

The Kiss, © Alfred Wertheimer. All rights reserved.

Portrait of Charles Schulz Commemorates the 60th Anniversary of “Peanuts” Debut

Jean Schulz, widow of Charles Schulz, speaks at presentation ceremony.

A photograph of “Peanuts” creator Charles M. Schulz (1922–2000) was presented to the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in a ceremony for invited guests Oct. 1. The event recognized the cartoonist’s impact on millions of people worldwide and coincides with commemorations surrounding the 60th anniversary of “Peanuts.”

The 1986 photograph, created by acclaimed portraitist Yousuf Karsh, is the Portrait Gallery’s first image of the famed cartoonist. In the image, Schulz is at his drawing board with pen in hand. Before him is a partially completed “Peanuts” full-page comic featuring the perennially popular story line in which Lucy snatches the football away from Charlie Brown and sends him hurtling through the air. The photograph, with the accompanying original comic strip, is on view in the museum’s “New Arrivals” gallery on the first floor.

 
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will also mark the 60th anniversary of the “Peanuts” strip with a case that will feature objects from Schulz, including drawing utensils, an animation cell from the television special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and two comic panels that show the cartoon’s progression from rough pencil sketches to finished ink strips.

Schulz once described himself as “born to draw comic strips.” A Minneapolis native, he was just two days old when an uncle nicknamed him “Sparky,” after the horse Spark Plug from the “Barney Google” comic strip. Throughout his youth, he and his father shared a Sunday-morning ritual of reading the funnies. After serving in the army during World War II, Schulz got his first big break in 1947 when he sold a cartoon feature called “Li’l Folks” to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. In 1950, Schulz met with United Feature Syndicate, and on Oct. 2 of that year, “Peanuts,” so named by the syndicate, debuted in seven newspapers. Schulz died in Santa Rosa, Calif., Feb. 12, 2000—just hours before his last original strip was to appear in Sunday papers.

“Peanuts,” one of America’s most beloved comic strips, ran without interruption for nearly 50 years. Encores of the comic strip appear today in more than 2,200 newspapers in 75 countries and 21 languages. “Peanuts” animated specials have become seasonal traditions, and thousands of consumer products are available. Charlie Brown kicking the football, Linus and his blanket and Lucy leaning over Schroeder’s piano are images to which everyone can relate. Phrases such as “security blanket” and “good grief” are a part of the global vernacular.

The photograph of Schulz has been donated to the National Portrait Gallery by Estrellita Karsh, in memory of Yousuf Karsh. The portrait presentation and family day are possible through Edwin C. and Jeanne Anderson.

Celebrate "Peanuts" and Charles Schulz tomorrow (Saturday) at “Peanuts Family Day!” This event features music, cartooning workshops, and a screening of It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. 

 

Charles Schulz / Yousuf Karsh / Chromogenic print, 1986 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Estrellita Karsh in memory of Yousuf Karsh

NPG Internship: All in a Summer's Work

By Allie Hewett, Administrative Intern and Baylor University Graduate Student

In Washington, D.C., if spring is the season for cherry blossoms, then summer is definitely the season for interns. As one of the lucky interns at the National Portrait Gallery, I have spent my summer researching museum branding and product development for the associate director of operations.

As a graduate student in Baylor University’s Museum Studies Program, I was eager to learn from the NPG staff and tackle a new challenge. My graduate program prepares students for careers in the museum field by enhancing subject-specific knowledge with courses in education, collections management, and exhibition design, and allows us to gain hands-on experience while working in the on-campus museum.

Surprisingly, my academic background is not related to art history—my undergraduate major was biology! My path to the museum field was the result of many positive experiences visiting museums of all types, and working and volunteering in natural history museums and zoos.

Despite my background, in no way do I feel out of place at the NPG. I am surrounded by scientists, including Thomas Edison, Jonas Salk, Albert Einstein, and E. O. Wilson; I feel connected to these extraordinary Americans and inspired by their achievement. In fact, I believe this is what makes the National Portrait Gallery unique—as a museum that focuses on both art and biography, its collections are filled with sitters from diverse areas of achievement. Every visitor finds someone to whom he or she can relate.

The goal of my internship project is to ultimately increase awareness of the National Portrait Gallery and its mission. Branded merchandise allows visitors to proudly promote the museum and represent their experience to the rest of the public. (Plus, who doesn’t love shopping?) Collections-related merchandise also reminds visitors of their experience. This project has required interdepartmental collaboration, as I have researched copyright and personality-rights issues and reviewed past products and the product-development process.

I have learned a lot at the National Portrait Gallery, and am grateful for such a beneficial internship experience. My fellow departmental intern and I have worked hard to create new merchandise, and hope that visitors will wear NPG gear with pride! What type of merchandise would YOU like to see available in the museum shop?

The National Portrait Gallery has internship opportunities during all seasons; see our NPG internship page.  

Meet the Cast of "Portraits Alive!"

Washington D.C. high school students bring the Portrait Gallery's collection to life. Performances Tuesday - Friday, July 28 - August 13, at 2:15pm.

“Portraits Alive!” is an integral part of the education programming at the National Portrait Gallery. Not only does it provide an art- and history-rich seminar environment for the participating students, but it also serves to bring the NPG Teen Ambassadors’ scholarly efforts to the public over several weeks.

This year, the Teen Ambassadors challenged themselves with a diverse collection of portraits and personalities. Interestingly, all of this year’s students except one chose to portray artists (performers, writers, or visual artists). Aliyah Cabbagestalk (right), an entering senior at the Field School here in Washington, chose to portray Muhammad Ali. Although Ali danced in the ring and often recited poetry, his portrait resides in the NPG’s “Champions” gallery of exceptional American athletes.

Chris Schelb (left), a tenth-grader at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, will perform as Allen Ginsberg, the sole writer represented this year, while James Tindle (below), a recent graduate of Booker T. Washington PCS, says of his own choice, “The passion of Russian dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov inspired me to immerse myself in his character and display it for an audience.”

Several of the scholars/performers found muses in singers. Tiana Long (right), a senior at Thurgood Marshall Academy and a veteran of the “Portraits Alive!” program, chose Marian Anderson because of Anderson’s impact on other artists such as Leontyne Price, the subject of Long’s portrayal last year. Ashley Hughes (below), another DC native, is an incoming freshman at Barry University in Miami. She says, “I chose Janis Joplin because of her involvement, her influence, and her controversial personality.”

Chelsey Shelton (right) will be attending Trinity University, Washington, in the fall of 2010. Shelton also chose to pay tribute to a singer: “I chose Selena Perez Quintanilla because I grew up listening to her music. Tejano music is very fun and upbeat. I also chose Selena because her movie gave me a closer look about herself and her life. The best quality of Selena Perez Quintanilla was her charisma and her heart-warming smile.”

The final singer in this year’s group is Denyce Graves, who was studied and will be performed by Tatiana Brown (below). Brown is an upcoming senior at Elizabeth Seton High School, and she counts dancing, writing, rowing, and art among her interests. She says, “I chose Denyce Graves because of her hypnotizing beauty.”

Ana-Elisa Gentle (right) is another Teen Ambassador alum, having portrayed Joan Baez in last year’s “Portraits Alive!” installment. This year, Gentle has challenged herself with the role of Tallulah Bankhead. Gentle is a recent graduate of the School Without Walls.

Lauren Walker (below), another Duke Ellington School of the Arts scholar and performer, will be portraying feminist and activist Kate Millett. Walker sees the multifaceted sides of Millett as quite attractive, adding, “Her story exposed me to a new political world that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. I’m excited about exploring her story, perspectives and evolution not only as a human but as a woman.”

Justin Chaney (below) will be a freshman this fall at Columbia College in Chicago. He chose to portray renowned African American actor Ira Aldridge. Chaney describes Aldridge’s portrait as that of “a regal African man, donned in majestic cape and gold crown, like an African prince.”

Now On View: Portrait of Norman Mineta

Photo by Ricky Leung, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program

Former Transportation and Commerce Secretary Norman Y. Mineta was recognized by the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program with the installation of his portrait in a private ceremony at the Portrait Gallery on Monday, July 26.

The portrait, by artist Everett Raymond Kinstler, is on display on the museum's first floor, in the "New Arrivals" exhibition, a collection of recent acquisitions. The oil-on-canvas painting was offered as a gift to the Portrait Gallery from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program.

Born in 1931 to immigrant Japanese parents in San José, California, Mineta and his family were detained along with 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent at an internment camp during World War II. Mineta's career in politics began with an appointment to a vacant seat on the San José City Council in 1967; two years later he won the seat in his own right. In 1971, he was elected mayor of San José, becoming the first Asian American mayor of a major U.S. city.

Photo by Ricky Leung, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program

As a member of Congress from 1975 through 1995, Mineta co-founded the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and engineered the passage of H.R. 442, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988—an official government apology for the internment of those of Japanese ancestry during World War II.

In 2000, President Bill Clinton appointed Mineta secretary of commerce, making him the first Asian Pacific American to hold a cabinet post. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed him secretary of transportation, making him the only Democrat in Bush's cabinet and one of the few citizens ever to serve in the cabinet of both a Democratic and Republican president. During the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, Mineta issued the historic order to ground all civilian aircraft, the first time this had been done in U.S. history.

Mineta retired from his cabinet post in 2006 and in that same year was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award. Mineta also served on the Smithsonian's Board of Regents from 1979 through 1995 and supported the establishment of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American program in 1997. Currently, he is vice chairman of Hill & Knowlton, a leading global communications consultancy.

This commission was made possible through the support of benefactors George and Sakaye Aratani, Hill & Knowlton, and Verizon Communications with additional support from many others. The portrait of Mineta is a part of the National Portrait Gallery's ongoing efforts to commission portraits of living sitters for its permanent collection.

For more, including additional photos of the event, visit the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program blog.

Photo by Ricky Leung, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program
Norman Mineta and artist Everett Raymond Kinstler.

NPG on the Web

If you read this blog, you know that the National Portrait Gallery maintains a presence online. However, what you may not be aware of is the ever-increasing nature of that presence.

Stay up-to-date on NPG and share your thoughts and stories, via our Facebook and Twitter pages. And see our podcast, iTunes U page, and YouTube channel for gallery talks, artist interviews, and other in-depth content (new talks are added each week). And, as always, visit our website for upcoming events, exhibits, and information on our research, curatorial, and educational offerings. 

Connect with NPG via:

• Our Twitter page
• Our Facebook page
• The Facebook page of the Catalog of American Portraits (the research wing of NPG)
• Our YouTube channel
• Our podcast (listen via iTunes or RSS)
• Our iTunes U page
• Our Flickr page

Visit us on Twitter

Visit us on Facebook

Visit us on iTunes and iTunesU

Visit us on YouTube

Rosalynn Carter Visits NPG

Photo by Warren Perry

It has been almost thirty years since President Jimmy Carter and his wife, First Lady Rosalynn Carter, left the White House. In that time, both President and Mrs. Carter have worked tirelessly on humanitarian efforts and both, now in their eighties, continue to work for multiple causes, never assuming that their octogenarian status implies that they should retire or that their work is somehow finished.

Rosalynn Carter has spent more than thirty-five years as an advocate on behalf of mental health issues, and on Friday, May 7, she brought her campaign to the National Portrait Gallery, discussing mental health and signing copies of her latest book, Within Our Reach: Ending the Mental Health Crisis.

One of the inspiring stories Mrs. Carter tells is that of Joel Slack, a former patient who suffered from psychiatric disorders in the form of schizophrenia. After his initial breakdown, Slack underwent years of treatment. He eventually became a mental health advocate and founder of Respect International, whose mission is “an advocacy, humanitarian, and educational non-profit organization, created out of the need of persons with psychiatric challenges to be treated with respect, to experience hope, and to be provided with the basic needs to live.” In Within Our Reach, Slack states that family became the final part of his healing process, as “My wife and daughter have helped transform me, to take me from a life of a psychiatric patient to a real personhood.”

Mrs. Carter concludes, “It is that impulse toward full personhood that I wish for everyone who has lived and struggled with a mental illness. I am sure that one day soon it will be possible—it is within our reach.”

Sorry, We Don’t Give Appraisals

The Catalog of American Portraits, as well as the rest of the departments of the National Portrait Gallery, frequently receives public inquiries concerning objects (portraits in one form or another—paintings, sculpture, prints, photos) purchased at auctions, estate sales, or flea markets. Typically, the line of questioning goes:

Who is it—that is, who is the sitter featured in the work?

Who painted/sculpted/engraved/created the image?

How much is it worth?

And typically, the answer from one of the NPG departments runs like this:

This work was created around (rough estimate of the date). The costuming and style of hair (or wig) are similar to (brief discussion of the costume/hair of the period). We are not allowed to appraise works, as we are a division of the federal government.

The subject of appraisals arises often, as most people are very interested in knowing the value of works they purchase, and of course, everyone hopes to have the next great discovery ready to take onto the set of Antiques Road Show. However, Smithsonian Directive 103, Section 7, Subsection K, is quite clear with respect to what is and what is not allowed concerning the appraisal of works:

Employees may not make estimates of monetary value (i.e., “appraisals”) of objects, materials, or specimens of the types collected by Smithsonian museums. Appraisals may be made solely for internal Smithsonian use, such as insurance valuations for loans.

However, other resources for the collector or inheritor exist, and the most common resource we suggest is the American Society of Appraisers (ASA). The ASA provides appraisers for not only works of art, but also real estate and many other forms of property.

Tommy Lasorda joins the collection of the National Portrait Gallery

Photo by Warren Perry

Today, baseball great Tommy Lasorda became part of the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. The former manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers also celebrated his eighty-second birthday at NPG with many other baseball greats and the current commissioner of major league baseball, Bud Selig.

Selig said that Lasorda was the perfect ambassador for baseball. Steve Garvey, one of the greatest first baseman ever to play the game, said of his old boss, Lasorda, “It is truly fitting that baseball’s national treasure is now part of the Smithsonian’s collection of treasures.”

Lasorda led the Dodgers to two world championships in 1981 and 1988. Later he served as manager of the first U.S. baseball team; that same team won a gold medal in Sydney, Australia, in the 2000 summer Olympics.

The new image of Tommy Lasorda was painted by Everett Raymond Kinstler. Kinstler’s work is in many major American collections and he is also represented in the NPG collection with his images of, among others, Katharine Hepburn, Gerald Ford, and Arthur Ashe. Of his portrait of Lasorda, Kinstler commented, “I know Tommy bleeds Dodger blue, and I tried to represent him as such.”

Tommy Lasorda by Everett Raymond Kinstler is now on display in the “New Arrivals” exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.

Thomas Charles Lasorda / Everett Raymond Kinstler / Oil on canvas / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Adapting Whitman to the Stage: Swift to My Wounded

The National Portrait Gallery’s first dramatic publication, Swift to My Wounded: Walt Whitman and the Civil War, is now available at the NPG museum shop and also online.

Whitman’s experiences in Washington are at the very core of his poetry and his journals. After his brother George was wounded at Fredericksburg in December of 1862, Walt Whitman came south from Manhattan and began work as a volunteer. He spent time with soldiers recovering in the Patent Office Building (now home to the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum), which had been converted into a hospital for much of the Civil War.

Whitman later worked in the building as a clerk for the Department of the Interior until he was fired by Secretary James Harlan in June 1865. Swift to My Wounded is a dramatic interpretation of those experiences as well as Whitman’s thoughts on the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

In 2007 Swift to My Wounded was staged again at the McEvoy Auditorium, and in November 2008 the show was performed in the National Theatre’s Helen Hayes Gallery.

                                                         *****

The following is from the National Portrait Gallery’s Profile magazine.  It was written by Warren Perry, NPG researcher and playwright, and discusses the making of Swift to My Wounded: 

The goal of every playwright is very simple: keep the audience from leaving. Adapting a biography for the stage is similar to creating an original drama in that the writer/adaptor’s primary task is to make the work compelling and vital.

Three years ago, Tom Donahue, chairman of the Catholic University Drama Department; Bill Largess, artistic director for the Washington Stage Guild; and Jewell Robinson, director of public programs for the National Portrait Gallery, decided to produce a play based on Walt Whitman’s Civil War experiences for the 2006 reopening of the National Portrait Gallery. I was honored to be asked to participate and was given the job of adapting Whitman’s works for the stage.

To create the play that became Swift to My Wounded from Whitman’s poetry and journals—two obviously non-theatrical genres—I first organized Whitman’s original work into a sequence of events that the character Walt Whitman could reflect upon and discuss. Next, I added transitions and embellishments to the original language. This second process was a delicate act—after all, who would presume to think that the addition of his or her language could enhance Walt Whitman’s own words?

Still, a quick analysis of Whitman’s writing yields a very interesting note: Walt Whitman was a list maker. Both his poems and his journals are marked by lists—lists of battlefields, lists of states in the Union, lists of plants and flowers, lists of parts of the human body—limitless lists of all kinds. Consider this passage from When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d:

Lo, body and soul—this land,
My own Manhattan with spires, and the sparkling
and hurrying tides, and the ships,
The varied and ample land, the South and the
North in the light, Ohio’s shores and flashing
Missouri,
And ever the far-spreading prairies cover’d with
grass and corn.

Other than a splendid description of Whitman’s America, this partial stanza of forty-eight words contains a list of places and rivers (Manhattan, the South, the North, the Ohio, the Missouri), a list of characteristics of Manhattan (spires, tides, ships),and two things found on the prairie (grass, corn).

The beauty of these observations serves poetry well, but it does not necessarily work as well for the stage and for keeping the audience’s attention. Whitman’s journals are even more intensively loaded with lists than his poetry. At this point in the development of the work, I wrote several original passages into the play to reflect the topicality of Whitman’s war commentary, and to provide a storyline into which his journals and poetry could be interpolated.

Ordinarily, from a writer’s point of view, the work would then be complete, except for the suggestions and notes of an editor. Writing for stage, however, is unlike writing for print, and the collaborative input of the producer, the director, and the actor mandated some revisions and changes to the arc of the storyline, all of which served the first rule of drama, which is, of course, to keep the audience from leaving.

For more on Whitman, see this previous blog post, as well as the website for NPG's former exhibition "One Life: Walt Whitman, A Kosmos." And learn more about history of the Patent Office Building in the NPG's online exhibition "Temple of Invention: A History of a National Landmark."

Now On View: Edward Kennedy by Andy Warhol

Elected to the United States Senate in 1962, Edward Kennedy owed his early success to his close identification with his elder brothers, President John F. Kennedy, whose Senate term he completed, and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.  Praising their commitment to public service, he acknowledged, "I'm very proud of that association."

Kennedy built on this legacy when he sought the presidency in 1980. Andy Warhol's silkscreened portrait, created as a campaign fund-raiser, plays off the colors of the American flag and suggests the glamour of politics by enhancing the candidate's features with thin red and blue lines and diamond dust.   Warhol’s portrait of Kennedy is now on display at the National Portrait Gallery, on the museum’s first floor.

Although Kennedy lost the 1980 Democratic nomination to Jimmy Carter, whom Warhol had portrayed four years earlier, the long-serving senator became an influential leader in his party, addressing such issues as health care, education, and immigration reform.

Edward Moore Kennedy / Andy Warhol / Screenprint with diamond dust on board, 1980 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution / © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.

Behind the Scenes: NPG Interns

Throughout the year, the National Portrait Gallery welcomes interns from all over the United States to participate in the daily operations of professional museum work.  Providing invaluable support to a wide variety of departments and projects, interns in turn receive unique experiences and a new cadre of professional skills.  As summer 2009 comes to a close, we present a brief selection of their impressions:

Caitlin Swindell, Center for Electronic Research and Outreach Services:
I learned a great deal about how art museums operate… My work incorporated entering data onto The Museum System, our gallery database, scanning and cropping a number of images from many galleries and museums, as well as responding to research requests and public inquiries. As a result I have learned a variety of skills that I know will prove to be useful later on in the work place and in life. 

Maggie Crosland, Department of Painting and Sculpture:
From day one I have felt not only welcomed but also that the entire NPG staff genuinely enjoys the interns and appreciates their work.  My supervisors on the [Outwin Boochever] Portrait Competition have gone out of their way to include me in as many elements of the project as possible.  I have never had a more career directing experience and at the end of two summers here I have a much clearer sense of what it is I want to do after I graduate. 

Teresa Adams, Design and Production Intern:
I have enjoyed my internship this summer. I have learned a lot about how the text for shows is installed and de-installed. I enjoyed helping to install the Thomas Paine show and de-installing the Duchamp show. This internship has been an eye-opener for me into the inner workings of the museum world.

Kendra Sykes, Department of History:
My summer in DC has been one of the most rewarding of my life... Besides conducting really great research, I was able to learn so much more about various museum professions and what they entail by talking with my supervisor as well as other staff at the NPG. I also learned that the execution of an exhibition requires a lot of work and time. I feel that my internship project was especially unique because I was able to work with material that was not always readily available—such as retrieving LIFE magazines from the Concourse—and this made my research all the more rewarding. I will truly miss it here at the NPG and I can’t wait to see the finished product of this exhibition!

Valerie Egan, Department of Education:
My internship with the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has proven to be an invaluable professional experience.  As I enter the arts and cultural sector, the NPG staff has welcomed every opportunity to discuss their positions, career paths and provide professional guidance and resources.  I count myself very lucky to have benefited from the unique resources of Washington DC and the Smithsonian Institution.  

More information about the National Portrait Gallery's internship program is available on the museum's website, including an application form.  

Top photo, left to right: NPG Director Martin Sullivan, Ashley Holmes, Brooks Swett, Erica Cottam, Mike Maizels, Christopher Sutton, and Lyrica Taylor.

Bottom photo, left to right: Rachael Penman, Brittany Sigley, Maggie Crosland, Catherine Swindell, Teresa Adams, Valerie Egan, Amy Lowman, Kendra Sykes, and Internship Program Manager Leni Buff.

Portrait Competition: Finalists and Shortlisted Artists Selected

The National Portrait Gallery has selected the artists whose work will be included in the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2009. The juried exhibition includes 49 works that will be on view from Oct. 23 through Aug. 22, 2010. Of these works, submitted by people from across the nation, seven were selected for the shortlist. Each of these seven will win cash awards, and the first prize will include an award of $25,000 and a commission from the museum to create a portrait of a living individual for the museum’s permanent collection. The prizes will be announced in a private event Oct. 22.

“The second Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition represents a significant milestone for the National Portrait Gallery,” said Martin Sullivan, director of the museum. “We opened the entries to all visual arts media and received a wonderful response.”

The competition received 3,300 entries in a variety of visual arts media, from digital animation and video to large-scale drawings, prints and photographs and a plethora of painted and sculpted portraits. It was open to artists working in the United States who had created portraits after Jan. 1,2007, in any visual art form. The exhibition of the finalists’ works includes paintings, sculpture, drawings, photographs and video.

External jurors for the competition were Wanda M. Corn, professor emerita in art history at Stanford University; Kerry James Marshall, artist; Brian O’Doherty, artist and critic; and Peter Schjeldahl, art critic for The New Yorker. Jurors from the National Portrait Gallery were Martin E. Sullivan, director; Carolyn K. Carr, deputy director and chief curator; and Brandon Brame Fortune, curator of painting and sculpture.

The Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition is a triennial event that invites figurative artists to submit entries in all media to be considered for prizes and display at the National Portrait Gallery. During the exhibition, museum and Web site visitors can vote for their favorite pieces as part of the “People’s Choice Award,” and winners of this part of the competition will be announced Jan. 24, 2010. The endowment from the late Virginia Outwin Boochever has enabled the museum to conduct a national portrait competition and exhibition that encourages artists to explore the art of portraiture.

Congratulations to the Portrait Competition finalists and shortlisted artists (*denotes artists on the shortlist):

Mequitta Ahuja, Houston
Jason Shaw Alexander, Los Angeles
Jen Bandini, Queens, N.Y.
Margaret Bowland, Brooklyn, N.Y.*
Benita Carr, Atlanta
Laura Chasman, Roslindale, Mass.
Mark Cummings, Newport Beach, Calif.
Yolanda del Amo, Brooklyn, N.Y.*
Armando Dominguez, Miami
Jenny Dubnau, Jackson Heights, N.Y.
Daniel Mark Duffy, Newtown, Conn.
David Eichenberg, Toledo, Ohio
Gaela Erwin, Louisville, Ky.*
Chambliss Giobbi, New York
David Gracie, Omaha, Neb.
Leor Grady, New York
Anne Harris, Riverside, Ill.
Patricia Horing, Larchmont, N.Y.
Anna Killian, Pensacola, Fla.
Erika Larsen, Hoboken, N.J.
David Dodge Lewis, Farmville, Va.
Lisa Lindvay, Chicago
Francesco Lombardo, Marshall, N.C.
Perin Mahler, Grand Rapids, Mich.
John Manion, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Bruce McKaig, Washington, D.C.
Pavel Melecky, Arlington, Texas
Sam Messer, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Paul Mindell, Norwalk, Conn.
Matthew Mitchell, Amherst, Mass.
Samantha Mitchell, New York
Austin Parkhill, Arvada, Colo.
Sonia Paulino, Los Angeles
Cliffton Peacock, Charleston, S.C.
Stanley Rayfield, Richmond, Va.*
Emil Robinson, Cincinnati*
Kate Sammons, Los Angeles
Philip Schirmer, Sargentville, Maine
Justin Shaw, Lincoln, Neb.
Satomi Shirai, Astoria, N.Y.
Michael A. Smith, Ottsville, Pa.
Ben Tolman, Washington, D.C.
Jim Torok, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Margaret Trezevant, Tampa, Fla.
Lien Truong, Eureka, Calif.
Clarissa Payne Uvegi, New York
Adam Vinson, Jenkintown, Pa.*
Dave Woody, Fort Collins, Colo.*
John Randall Younger, Charlottesville, Va.

The Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition jury at work on May 28, 2009

Now On View: Portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver by David Lenz

Eunice Kennedy Shriver is the creative force and organizer of Special Olympics, Inc., a nonprofit charitable organization that provides training and competition in Olympic sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. In a special ceremony this morning, National Portrait Gallery unveiled a portrait of Shriver by artist David Lenz, winner of the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2006. It is the first portrait commissioned by the museum of an individual who has not served as a president or first lady. The portrait is on display on the museum’s second floor rotunda. 

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, has been a leader in the worldwide struggle to improve and enhance the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities for most of her life. In 1957 Shriver became director of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation, which was created to deal with issues of mental retardation, and several years later she established a summer day camp at her home that became the basis for Special Olympics. In 1968 the Kennedy Foundation, working with the Chicago Park District, organized the First International Special Olympics Summer Games. Currently more than 1.3 million children and adults from more than 150 countries participate in the program. Shriver has received numerous awards and honors for her work, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Theodore Roosevelt Award of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

David Lenz was commissioned to paint this portrait as part of the first prize in the inaugural Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. Lenz ’s winning painting, Sam and the Perfect World, portrays his son, an active participant in Special Olympics events. For this commission, Lenz embraced the idea of making a portrait of Shriver that would also include five persons with intellectual disabilities who have been involved in Special Olympics and the Best Buddies program: (left to right) Airika Straka, Katie Meade, Andy Leonard, Loretta Claiborne, and Marty Sheets.

Listen to an interview with artist David Lenz (13:15)

Listen to the dedication ceremony, featuring remarks from Bobby Shriver and David Lenz (26:45)

Eunice Kennedy Shriver / David Lenz, 2009 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Commissioned as part of the First Prize, Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2006

Tony Bennett Portrait of Duke Ellington Dedicated, Displayed

In honor of the 110th birthday of Duke Ellington, the National Portrait Gallery today unveiled a portrait of the composer by his friend and fellow musician Tony Bennett. Bennett spoke briefly at the NPG’s McEvoy auditorium this morning, discussing art, music, and his friendship with Ellington. The Duke Ellington School of Performing Arts Jazz Ensemble accompanied the ceremony with a brief set, and they were acknowledged by both NPG Director Martin Sullivan and Bennett. Bennett’s watercolor of Ellington was then removed from the auditorium and taken to the NPG “New Arrivals” gallery, on the first floor, where it will be on public display through Labor Day.

“We are honored to accept this donation from Mr. Bennett to the National Portrait Gallery’s collection,” said Sullivan. “There was great affection between Bennett and Ellington, and both were outstanding contributors to America’s musical heritage.” 

The painting depicts Ellington with a bouquet of pink roses in the background. Bennett chose this motif to celebrate Ellington’s habit of sending the singer a dozen pink roses whenever Ellington composed a new song. In the first rank of American composers, Duke Ellington was “beyond category”: his more than 2,000 jazz compositions include “Satin Doll” and “Sophisticated Lady,” as well as Black, Brown and Beige and the later “Sacred Concerts.” Legendary performer Tony Bennett (born Anthony Benedetto), who has had a lifelong interest in painting, here portrays the man he celebrated as his mentor. “When I worked on his portrait, I was inspired by the look of divine serenity on his face,” Bennett noted, and he inscribed the painting, “God Is Love.” 

Bennett, a fifteen-time Grammy Award–winning singer, has a reputation as an accomplished visual artist. This donation marks the third painting he has donated to the Smithsonian. In 2006, Bennett’s painting of Central Park was donated to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and in 2002 his portrait of Ella Fitzgerald was donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. 

In a letter to NPG Historian Amy Henderson, Mercedes Ellington stated, “Particularly heartwarming for me . . . is the superb tribute that you have succeeded in creating on this date for both my grandfather and for a special friend, Tony Bennett. Tony has been a dear and close friend of ours, not only during my grandfather’s lifetime, but ever since. A consummate artist, he is one of the few whom Duke Ellington regarded as ‘beyond category.’ Words fail to express how delighted we are that the friendship and mutual admiration between Duke Ellington and Tony Bennett should be enshrined and remembered by the installation of Tony’s portrait of the The Duke in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.”

Listen to the donation ceremony, featuring comments from Tony Bennett (18:02)

Duke Ellington, Tony Bennett, 1993 / Watercolor and graphite on paper / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Tony Bennett

Portrait Competition Update

It’s been three months since the jury met for the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2009 and chose just over 100 semifinalists. Now, we offer a preview of some of the artists who are advancing to the final round of judging.

Nine of the semifinalist artists from all over the country are participating in the Portrait of an Artist project, a multimedia diary that documents their artistic process. They are:

Mequitta Ahuja, Weston, Connecticut
Mary Borgman, St. Louis, Missouri
David James Eichenberg, Toledo, Ohio
Kenichi Hoshine, New York City
Sonia Paulino, New York City, Miami, and Los Angeles
Satomi Shirai, Tokyo, Japan, and New York City
Ben Tolman, Washington, DC
Dave Woody, Fort Collins, Colorado
Michael Vasquez, St. Petersburg and Miami, Florida

These photographers, draftsmen, and painters are posting a cornucopia of entries, pictures, and videos to Portrait of an Artist. Readers can click through their interests (everything from “hot springs” to “hot beverages”) and delve further into the minds of today’s portrait artists. Best of all, the artists will continuously update their own diaries throughout the year. Lucky us!

Models Chauncey and Merwin with artist Mary Borgman’s finished Portrait of Merwin Shaw.

View our past updates on the Portrait Competition here and here, and visit the competition's Web site for more information. The exhibition of finalist work will open at the National Portrait Gallery on October 23, 2009.   

Portraits of President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush Unveiled

Photo by Warren Perry

President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush unveiled portraits of themselves commissioned for the National Portrait Gallery in a private ceremony at the museum this morning.  The paintings will be on public view beginning today. This is the first time that the Portrait Gallery will present the official likenesses of a sitting president and first lady.

“It is always a great moment for the National Portrait Gallery to unveil the portraits of presidents and first ladies,” said Martin E. Sullivan, director of the museum. “I am thrilled that the museum is able to install these two works while President Bush is in the White House.”

Robert Anderson was selected by the White House to paint the president’s portrait. Anderson was a classmate of Bush’s at Yale University and received his training in fine arts at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. A professional portraitist based in Darien, Conn., Anderson has also painted a portrait of Bush for the Yale Club in New York. Bush’s portrait will be installed in the exhibition “America’s Presidents,” among those of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and George H.W. Bush. 

Aleksander Titovets was selected by the White House to paint Laura Bush’s portrait. Titovets is a native Russian painter who now lives in El Paso, Texas. Trained at the St. Petersburg State University College of Fine Arts, he specializes in figurative and landscape painting inspired by his native Russia as well as the landscape of the Southwest. Initially, the portrait of Laura Bush will be hung on the first floor in the north hall of the National Portrait Gallery.
 

Listen to an interview with Robert Anderson, the artist who painted President Bush's portrait (4:10)

Listen to an interview with Aleksander Titovets, the artist who painted first lady Laura Bush's portrait (6:43) 

Listen to a recording of the event. The speakers are Martin E. Sullivan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery; G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; Mrs. Laura Bush; and President George W. Bush. (19:15) 

Video from necn.com

Photos by Warren Perry, John McMahon, and Benjamin Bloom

George W. Bush / Robert Anderson , 2008/Oil on canvas/National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution/ Gift of American Fidelity Foundation, J. Thomas and Stefanie Atherton, William S. and Ann Atherton, Dr. Jon C. and Jane G. Axton, Dr. Lee and Sherry Beasley, Thomas A. Cellucci, A. James Clark, Richard H. Collins, Edward and Kaye Cook, Don and Alice Dahlgren, Mr. and Mrs. James L. Easton, Robert Edmund, Robert and Nancy Payne Ellis, Dr. Tom and Cheryl Hewett, Dr. Dodge and Lori Hill, Pete and Shelley Kourtis, Tom and Judy Love, David L. McCombs, Tom and Brenda McDaniel, Herman and LaDonna Meinders, The Norick Family, Kenneth and Gail Ochs, Robert and Sylvia Slater, Richard L. Thurston, Lew and Myra Ward, Dr. James and Susan Wendelken, Jim and Jill Williams

Laura Bush/ Aleksander Titovets, 2008/ Oil on canvas/National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution / Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. O. Stewart

Portrait Competition Update

The jury for the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2009 met at the National Portrait Gallery offices on October 24 to choose the semifinalist works. Portraits in nearly all visual arts media were carefully reviewed, and the jury members were struck by how much extraordinary work they were able to see, and how many artists they were discovering for the first time. 

At the end of a long day, a group of approximately 100 portraits were selected to be brought to Washington for final review next spring.  The jurors were Wanda Corn, professor emerita at Stanford University; Kerry James Marshall, artist, Chicago; Brian O’Doherty, artist, New York City; Peter Schjeldahl, art critic for the New Yorker; and three members of the NPG staff:  Director Martin Sullivan, Deputy Director and Chief Curator Carolyn Kinder Carr, and Curator of Painting and Sculpture Brandon Fortune.

See our last update, and visit the competition's Web site for more information. The exhibition of finalist work will open at the Portrait Gallery on October 23, 2009. 

The National Portrait Gallery Turns 40!

Forty years ago today, the National Portrait Gallery opened its doors to the public.

A national portrait gallery was an idea long in search of a building. At last in 1958 came the promise of a home in the majestic Old Patent Office (saved from being replaced by a parking facility) once it was vacated by the Civil Service Commission. Legislation formally brought the National Portrait Gallery into being in 1962 and after frustrating delays, it opened its doors to the public on October 7, 1968. “The Gallery will tell for centuries to come the story of American history,” the welcoming proclamation from the District of Columbia affirmed, “by displaying the likenesses of these men and women of all stations of life and of diverse origins.” You can learn more about the history of the Old Patent Office Building in NPG's online exhibition "Temple of Invention: History of a National Landmark." 

 “After a long, hazardous pilgrimage,“ wrote Charles Nagel, the Gallery’s first director, in the initial  catalog, “we have finally come to our premier exhibition.”  Entitled "This New Man A Discourse in Portraits," the exhibition's theme was intended to be an inquiry into the nature of the American national character. The one hundred and sixty eight paintings, sculptures, and photographs were arranged, not chronologically, but in “thought-provoking juxtapositions” which sometimes  “made for strange bedfellows.”

Only thirty-five of the portraits were from the Gallery’s own small collection—the remainder were on loan from individuals and institutions throughout the country and abroad. Explained Nagel, “We’re trying to give an idea of what we’re aiming at, not of what we have.” (A fair number of the borrowed  portraits would find their way,  by gift or purchase, into the Gallery’s permanent collection. )   

In addition to “This New Man” the Gallery assembled an impressive array portraits of all past presidents of the United States—no easy task since the collection included likenesses of only 23 of the 39 men who had held the office. The prize, hung to greet guests as they ascended the stairway to the second floor, was the Gilbert Stuart Lansdowne portrait of George Washington lent by Lord Primrose. The loan request had initially been turned down, but the portrait was secured after Smithsonian Secretary Dillon Ripley asked Lord Mountbatten (with whom he had worked in South East Asia during the World War II) to intervene. (The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation made it possible for the Gallery to purchase the Lansdowne in 2001.)

Not on view was the Peter Hurd portrait of the current president, Lyndon Baines Johnson, who had denounced it as “the ugliest thing he had ever seen.” Johnson, miffed because the portrait rejected by the White House, had been accepted by the Portrait Gallery as a gift from the artist, had declined an invitation to speak at the opening ceremonies and declared that he wished no likeness of himself to be on view during his term in office.  The special alcove intended for the portrait of the incumbent president was filled instead by his immediate predecessor, John F. Kennedy.

“'This New Man' brings together some truly superb examples of the art of portraiture,” wrote the New York Times art critic, Hilton Kramer, “along with some of the most deplorable pictorial junk ever put on public display.”  The “truly appalling thing,” noted another scribe, was the diorama based on John Trumbull’s “The Signing of the Declaration of Independence” which looked like “handmade Barbie dolls.” (As one of his first acts, the Gallery’s second director, Marvin Sadik, took the Gallery’s one and only diorama off view.)  

That the Portrait Gallery received mixed reviews at its opening, is attributable in part to a misunderstanding of what this new breed of museum was about–it was not a gallery of art as such–although the role of the artist is part of the Gallery’s mission—but rather a place of history where the significance of the sitter—for good or for evil–takes precedence over artistic merit. That the Portrait Gallery, which Charles Nagel and many others thought had been founded one hundred years too late, has been able, over the past forty years, to acquire a collection of images worthy in both history and art, is downright amazing. 

National Portrait Gallery, 1968 aerial view.

The National Portrait Gallery is part of the Donald W. Reynolds Center, along with the Smithsonian American Art Museum. (2007 photo by Ken Rahaim, Smithsonian Institution)