M. F. K. Fisher (1908–1992) by Ginny Stanford, acrylic on canvas (detail), 1991, acrylic on canvas. © Ginny Stanford.
8th and F Streets, NW. Open daily from 11:30 A.M. to 7 P.M. Closed December 25. Metrorail: Gallery Place/Chinatown station. Museum information: 202-633-8300. Smithsonian information: 202-633-1000 npg.si.edu
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Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901) by an unidentified artist, wood, 1888. |
Barack Obama (b. 1961) by Shepard Fairey. Gift of the Heather and Tony Podesta Collection. © Shepard Fairey/ObeyGiant.com. |
Generations of remarkable Americans are kept in the company of their fellow citizens at the National Portrait Gallery. The museum presents the wonderful diversity of individuals who have left and who are still leaving their mark on our country and our culture. Through the visual and performing arts, we feature leaders such as George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr., artists such as Mary Cassatt and George Gershwin, activists such as Sequoyah and Rosa Parks, and icons of pop culture such as Babe Ruth and Marilyn Monroe, among thousands of others. They all link us to our past, our present, and our future. For anyone fascinated by famous Americans and their stories, the National Portrait Gallery is a must-visit destination.
The Portrait Gallery reopened in 2006 after an extensive six-year renovation of its National Historic Landmark building. The structure itself, begun in 1836 for the US Patent Office, stood for the highest aspirations of the nation. Praised by Walt Whitman as “the noblest of Washington buildings,” it was saved from the wrecking ball in 1958 and then welcomed the opening of the National Portrait Gallery in 1968. That was no accident. Pierre L’Enfant, in his design for the new federal city, had envisioned for this site a place to honor the nation’s heroes. In our own time, a building has been reborn and a vision fulfilled.
Robert F. Kennedy (1925–1968) by Roy Lichtenstein, 1989, lithograph. Gift of Time magazine. © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein.
Portraiture as an art form is alive across the United States. In several exhibitions each year, the National Portrait Gallery showcases new talent and new faces. Every three years, the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition invites artists to submit their work to be considered for entrance into the exhibition, cash prizes, and the top prize of executing a commission of a remarkable living American for the museum. In “Portraiture Now,” the museum continues a new series of exhibitions featuring contemporary artists who explore with imagination and skill the age-old art of depicting the figure. Through paintings, sculpture, photographs, drawings, and video art, artists bring compelling figurative art into the 21st century.
One of the building’s most popular exhibitions is “America’s Presidents,” the nation’s only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House. This exhibition lies at the heart of the Portrait Gallery’s mission to tell the country’s history through the individuals who have shaped it. Visitors can see an enhanced and extended display of multiple images of 43 presidents of the United States, including Gilbert Stuart’s “Lansdowne” portrait of George Washington, the famous “cracked-plate” photograph of Abraham Lincoln, and whimsical sculptures of Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, and George H. W. Bush by noted caricaturist Pat Oliphant.
George Washington (1732–1799), “Lansdowne” portrait, by Gilbert Stuart, 1796, oil on canvas. Acquired as a gift to the nation through the generosity of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.
Maya Angelou by Ross Rossin (b. 1964), 2013, oil on canvas. Gift of Andrew J. Young Foundation. © Ross R. Rossin.
Presidents Washington, Andrew Jackson, Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin D. Roosevelt are given expanded attention because of their significant impact on the office.
Located adjacent to “America’s Presidents,” “The Struggle for Justice” showcases individuals from the museum’s permanent collection who played significant roles in advancing civil rights and justice. The installation includes a range of activists from Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cesar Chavez, all whom struggled on behalf of disenfranchised Americans.
A “conversation about America” is on view in a series of 17 galleries and alcoves entitled “American Origins,” which is chronologically arranged to take the visitor from the days of first contact between Native Americans and European explorers, through the struggles of independence, to the Gilded Age. Major figures include Pocahontas, Alexander Hamilton, Henry Clay, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Three galleries devoted to the Civil War—“Faces of Discord”—examine this conflict in depth. A selection of modern photographic prints produced from Mathew Brady’s original negatives complements the exhibition. Highlights from the Portrait Gallery’s remarkable collection of daguerreotypes (the earliest practical form of photography) make the National Portrait Gallery the first major museum to create a permanent exhibition space for daguerreotype portraits.
Each year, a gallery within the museum called “One Life” is devoted to a single curator’s exploration of the life of an individual.
Fred Astaire (1899–1987) by Edward Steichen, 1927, gelatin silver print. Acquired in memory of Agnes and Eugene Meyer through the generosity of Katharine Graham and the New York Community Trust, The Island Fund. Permisssion of Joanna T. Steichen © The Estate of Edward Steichen.
Four newly created galleries opening onto the museum’s magnificent third-floor Great Hall showcase the major cultural, scientific, and political figures of the 2oth century, including cultural icon Marilyn Monroe. From the reform movements of the first two decades to the movements for social justice and civil rights of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, and from the Great Depression to the Vietnam era and beyond, visitors can experience the people who defined the decades of that century.
Two exhibitions on the third-floor mezzanines highlight particular themes in American life. “Bravo!” features individuals who have brought the performing arts to life, from the late 19th century through the present. “Champions” salutes the dynamic American sports figures whose impact has extended beyond the athletic realm and made them a part of the larger story of the nation. Every three years, the National Portrait Gallery invites artists from across the nation to participate in the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. The portrait competition and exhibition encourage artists to explore the art of portraiture by submitting works they have created. The events celebrate excellence and innovation, with a strong focus on the variety of portrait media used by artists today.
AT A GLANCE
Through the visual, performing, literary, and electronic arts, the National Portrait Gallery provides a stage for remarkable Americans to share their stories with us. Highlights from the museum’s collections include Gilbert Stuart’s “Lansdowne” painting of George Washington, perhaps the most significant portrait in America’s history, as well as exhibitions on the presidents, paintings, photographs, and drawings.
Abraham Lincoln by Alexander Gardner (1821–1882), 1865, albumen silver print.
In October 2014, the Portrait Gallery created “Recognize” as an opportunity for people to decide what will go on display as the museum continues to acknowledge those who have influenced American politics, history, and culture. The museum’s historians and curators select three portraits that highlight an influential person in the collection, and the winner is elected by fans of the Portrait Gallery who can vote online through Smithsonianmag.com. So far, voters have chosen the portraits of artist Georgia O’Keeffe, comedian George Carlin, and baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente to be installed on the “Recognize” wall.
Rosa Parks (1913–2005) by Marshall D. Rumbaugh, 1983, limewood.
The National Portrait Gallery has a lively selection of public programs that use art as a vehicle to introduce individuals in the collection along with their significant contributions to American society. The department develops innovative, thoughtful programming for visitors from near and far. Using the exhibitions as a catalyst for these educational offerings, the collections come alive through interactive school tours, docent tours, and programming. For offerings during your visit, check the museum’s Web site.
