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Make I Contact. Meet the most remarkable Americans all in one place. From George Washington to George Carlin, Sequoyah to Rosa Parks, James Monroe to Marilyn Monroe, we are home to the icons of our nation's history and culture. Join us to discover the nation's story through the people who've shaped it. On-topic discussion is encouraged in a civil manner. Please treat other users with respect. Legal: si.edu/legal
This week, 2.8 million Smithsonian digital collections were added to the public domain. Among the #SmithsonianOpenAccess release are the portraits Phillis Wheatley, Mary Stevenson Cassatt, Sequoyah, Pocahontas, George Washington, and nearly 6,000 more objects from our collection. Explore nearly two centuries of the Smithsonian’s interdisciplinary research: s.si.edu/openaccess
The Museum Store will be closed for a refresh from Saturday, February 29 through Sunday, March 8. Credit card sales only February 25–28. Shop online anytime at saamnpgstore.si.edu. We reopen with new spring products Monday, March 9!
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The Smithsonian's treasures belong to you. Now you can download, transform and share the Smithsonian’s Open Access content for any purpose, for free, without further permission from the Smithsonian.
We can't wait to see how you get creative with about 2.8 million Smithsonian collection images, 3D models, data and research.
Tune in to our #SmithsonianOpenAccess event tonight at 7:15 p.m. ET at si.edu/OpenAccess.
Join The Lily and the Portrait Gallery in toasting your 30s at the D.C. premiere of The Lily’s documentary, “The Jessicas are turning 30.”
This first Remix event of the season includes champagne, games, trivia, art, and a cookie-decorating workshop with The Sweet Feminist. You won't want to miss it!
Thursday, March 26 at 6 p.m., Kogod Courtyard.
More info: bit.ly/38Ucn94
In 1989, these six people were named Jessica, the most popular name for girls that year. But from there, their lives took different paths. Now, they reflect on life at the brink of 30 — an age heavy with expectation.
The #Outwin2019 is on view now through August 30!
OCCURRING EVERY THREE YEARS, the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition has showcased the work of numerous African American artists. Amy Sherald won first prize in 2016, transforming her car...
"'Some people like their poetry to rhyme. Some people don't.'"
Michelle Obama portrait painter Amy Sherald talked about her work being misunderstood and why that's just fine with her at a Chicago book-launch event last week.
We are excited to announce the winners of this year's Teen Portrait Competition!
Congratulations to Chiemeka Offor and Sofia Gress! 🎉 Their works, "Showtime" (left) and "What I Am, What I Think" (right) will be displayed alongside the exhibition, "The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today."
Did you know that the Portrait Gallery has the nation's only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House? This President's Day, celebrate with a visit to the exhibition, "America's Presidents." 🇺🇸
Can't make it? We have the exhibition online: americaspresidents.si.edu/
"Four smartly dressed old men, with their sage beards to match, carefully study a work of art that lies out of frame. A portrait of these Kunstdommere — 'art judges' in Danish — by Michael Ancher is the centerpiece of the National Portrait Gallery’s current exhibition 'Portraits of the World: Denmark'"
Four smartly dressed old men, with their sage beards to match, carefully study a work of art that lies out of frame. A portrait of these Kunstdommere — “art judges” in Danish — by Michael Ancher is the centerpiece of the National Portrait Gallery’s current exhibition “Portraits of the Wo...
"In Mid-Sentence" is on view now through March 8!
Photographs are often replete with words that remain unheard. “In Mid-Sentence” presents a selection of photographs from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s collection that depict moments of communication: intimate confessions, public speeches, exchanged jokes, political confrontations...
National Portrait Gallery's cover photo
Love is in the air! 💖 A love for art and history, that is! Through the visual arts, performing arts, and new media, the Portrait Gallery presents poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists whose lives form our national identity. We love being able to narrate the multi-faceted and ever-changing story of America through the individuals who have shaped its culture. Do you have a portrait that you're currently in love with? 💝
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Image Credit: Marian Anderson by William Henry Johnson, c. 1945. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the Harmon Foundation; Kunstdommere (Art Judges) by Michael Ancher, 1906. The Danish Museum of National History, Frederiksborg Castle; Martin Luther King, Jr., wife Coretta Scott King, and their daughter Yolanda by Dan Weiner, 1956. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution © Sandra Weiner. © International Center of Photography, New York; Celia Cruz by Alexis Rodríguez-Duarte, 1994 (printed 2016). National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquisition made possible through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. © 1994, Alexis Rodriguez-Duarte.
Portrait Gallery curator for Latinx art and history, Taína Caragol, on Kehinde Wiley and the Artistic Vision of the Obama White House.
On February 12th, 2018, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery unveiled the portraits of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. The White House and the museum had worked togethe…
"A place of mourning was probably not what Congress had in mind when they established the National Portrait Gallery in 1962, but perhaps they would not be surprised that this is partly what they got."
When prominent Americans like Kobe Bryant die, mourners flock to the National Portrait Gallery in search of solace
Making plans for Presidential Weekend? Don't forget to add our Presidential Family Fun Day to your list!
On Saturday, February 15 from 11:30-3 PM, join us as we celebrate President's Day with crafts, music, dancing, games, and special tours of our, "America's Presidents" exhibition.
We'll be celebrating with artists, President Lincoln's Cottage, the DC Public Library, the Washington Nationals Racing Presidents, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing!
Free and open to the public in the Kogod Courtyard.
The #ObamaPortraitsTour will head to five cities beginning June 2021: Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Houston.
What is your favorite Oscar-nominated film? We have portraits from some of the greatest Academy Award winners in our collection, from Janet Gaynor to Tom Hanks.
Four of Katharine Hepburn's Oscars are also in the Portrait Gallery collection for her roles in, "Morning Glory," "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," "The Lion in Winter," and "On Golden Pond." The figure stands on a film reel with five spokes, signifying the original branches of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences: actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers.
The pedestal (seen here) was raised in 1945, giving Oscar a height of 13½ inches; it weighs 8½ pounds. It was composed of the alloy Britannia and coated in twenty-four-karat gold but has now gone back to its original gold-plated bronze material since 2016. 🏆
Donated to us by the Estate of the Katharine Hepburn, you can see her four Oscars on view now in our, "20th Century Americans: 1960-2000" exhibition on the 3rd floor.
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Image Credit: Best Actress Oscar for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", 1967. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Estate of Katharine Hepburn.
"'To the world he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years,' wrote Douglas’ son, actor and producer Michael Douglas..."
A mainstay of 1950s and '60s cinema, Douglas was one of Classic Hollywood's last surviving stars
Kobe Bryant's portrait is on view now.
A rarely seen side of the NBA legend hangs in display at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery
Meet Leslie Ureña, the Portrait Gallery's Associate Curator of Photographs and curator of, "In Mid-Sentence."
Jan 31 A few of my favorite things: Leslie Ureña Smithsonian staff and volunteers work countless hours in the halls of our museums and research centers, in the field, at the Zoo, in our gardens and facilities. We are privileged to spend time with some of the nation’s most cherished treasures as w...
The richly illustrated book is available online and in our museum store starting February 11.
'The Obama Portraits' is an illustrated ode to the paintings of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, as well as the work that went into them.
In 1996, George Walker became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music with his composition Lilacs for Voice and Orchestra. This was one of many firsts for the virtuoso pianist and classical composer, who challenged expectations and charted his own course in a career spanning eight decades. A superior student, he was the first black graduate of Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music and the first black instrumentalist to perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Despite this promising start, Walker faced racial discrimination that severely limited his performance opportunities as a pianist. He responded by pursuing dual careers as a teacher and composer, producing more than ninety works that have placed him at the forefront of contemporary classical music. In these photographs, Walker appears framed by his home piano and captured in the act of scoring a composition—something he always did entirely by hand. #BlackHistoryMonth
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Image Credit: George Walker by Frank Schramm. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Frank Schramm. © 2017 Frank Schramm.
Did you know we have an exhibition dedicated to dynamic American sports figures? A lively combination of portraits, artifacts, memorabilia, and video make up the, "Champions" exhibition on the third floor. Everything from tennis, hockey, golf, and of course, football. 🏈
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Image Credit: Joe Namath by Ben Ross, 1965. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © Ben Ross.
"Nearly 60 works of art from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery are coming to Pittsburgh as part of a dynamic new exhibition at the Senator John Heinz History Center."
Nearly 60 works of art from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery are coming to Pittsburgh as part of a dynamic new exhibition at the Senator John Heinz History Center
The daughter of a free black woman and a prominent Englishman, Mary Peake was educated in Alexandria, Virginia. While supporting herself as a dressmaker, she secretly began teaching from her home, instructing African Americans of all ages. Her work as an educator gained the attention of Reverend Lew C. Lockwood, a representative of the American Missionary Association, who eventually wrote her biography, of which this portrait serves as the frontispiece. #BecauseOfHerStory
Learn more about women's contributions to America: s.si.edu/2tTWsbD
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Image Credit: Mary S. Peake, the Colored Teacher at Fortress Monroe by Frederick W. Halpin, 1863. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.
Kehinde Wiley's portrait of Barack Obama will be on view at the Portrait Gallery until mid-May of 2021 before beginning it's tour around the nation. #ObamaPortraitsTour
Best known for his portrait of Barack Obama, the artist’s first solo London show is inspired by a tale of insanity and the women of Dalston
We've been nominated in USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice awards for Best Art Museum! Have you voted for us? 😉
You can vote everyday until February 17.
National Portrait Gallery: Vote for your favorite art museum in North America!
"Photographer Rick Chapman’s 2007 portrait of Bryant embodies this singularity. Then just 29, the shooting guard had 'already had this really tremendous impact on basketball,' says Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, senior historian at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, where the selenium-toned print is now on view in a special “In Memoriam” display."
A 2007 photograph of the N.B.A. All-Star offers visitors a chance to pay their respects
The Obama portraits on going on the road across the U.S.! #ObamaPortraitsTour
The works by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald will make their way to five cities from June 2021 through May 2022, including a stop at the Brooklyn Museum.
Hey Chicago, Brooklyn, LA, Atlanta, and Houston! Get ready for the #ObamaPortraitsTour!
The National Portrait Gallery chose five museums — from Brooklyn to L.A. — to host the paintings starting in June 2021.
The Obama portraits are touring in 2021! Learn more: bit.ly/obamaportraitstour
#ObamaPortraitsTour
The National Portrait Gallery has been nominated in USA TODAY's 2020 10Best Art Museum category! 🎉
Love our museum? Be sure to vote for us! #myNPG
Voting for the Best Art Museum is open! Cast your vote daily to help pick the 2020 10Best Readers' Choice Award for Best Art Museum.
"Portraits of the World: Denmark" is on view now. Don't miss the chance to see the monumental piece on loan from the the Danish Museum of National History, Frederiksborg Castle!
At the Portrait Gallery, a new show gets at the visual heart of competitive camaraderie roiling within artist colonies
🎂 Happy birthday to creator and original star of, "Hamilton: An American Musical," Lin-Manuel Miranda! 🎈
This portrait of Miranda, in costume for his title role in "Hamilton," is one of several photographs that Mark Seliger took for the June 2016 cover story of Rolling Stone. See this image on view in our, "Recent Acquisitions" exhibition on the first floor.
Image Credit: Lin-Manuel Miranda by Mark Seliger, 2016 (printed 2018). Acquisition made possible through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.
The deadline is quickly approaching for submissions to the Teen Portrait Competition. Know a budding photographer between the ages of 13 and 17? The winning submission will be displayed at the Portrait Gallery!
Deadline: Jan. 15. More info: s.si.edu/33ln54K
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Due to inclement weather, all our D.C.-area museums will close at 3 p.m. today. The @NationalZoo will close at 1 p.m.
Everyone loves a good story. “Her Story: A Century of Women Writers” will highlight 24 noted women writers from the last one hundred years who are represented in the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Exhibition opens July 10. #BecauseOfHerStory
In the months leading up to the election, museums and galleries across America will host a number of impassioned and political exhibitions
Recovering from your New Year's celebration? Jump start your 2020 with a visit to the Portrait Gallery. We'll be open today from 11:30-7 p.m. ✨
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Image Credit: "Opening Night Party of 'The Member of the Wedding'" by Ruth Orkin, 1950. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © Ruth Orkin.
Thank you to all our visitors, both online and in the museum, for making 2019 a memorable year for art and history! From opening, "Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence" to celebrating 47 artists in the #Outwin2019, we have sought to tell the ever-evolving and diverse story of America through portraiture.
We are excited for the new year's exhibitions, family programs, and events so hope to see you in 2020! #myNPG
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The Obama portraits are touring in 2021! Learn more: bit.ly/obamaportraitstour #ObamaPortraitsTour
Now on view: "Portraits of the World: Denmark" We have collaborated with the Danish Museum of National History (Det Nationalhistoriske Museum på Frederiksborgiksborg) for our third exhibition in a series dedicated to highlighting the global context of American portraiture. "Portraits of the World: Denmark" will feature "Kunstdommere" (Art Judges) by Michael Ancher, the artist's monumental 1906 group portrait of his colleagues in a Danish artists' colony. Learn more about the work and it's journey to the Portrait Gallery!
On Sunday, Earth, Wind & Fire will be honored with our Portrait of a Nation Prize for their musical contribution to culture and their innovative sound. Verdine White stopped by the museum ahead of the event to check out our exhibition on another musical icon, Marian Anderson. #myNPG
"Sometimes these works don't have to be pretty or beautiful, but it's about the conflict." Artist and professor of sculpture and contemporary practices at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Jefferson Pinder, on his work as this year's Portrait Competition juror. "The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today" opens tomorrow, October 26! #Outwin2019
In 1962, César Chávez and Dolores Huerta cofounded the National Farm Workers Association. Through her example as a labor and civil rights leader, Huerta became an early symbol of female power for the Chicano and feminist movements. #HispanicHeritageMonth #BecauseOfHerStory See the full video: http://bit.ly/2MN9rDK
Artist Talk: Yun Suknam
Today we are taking you in a tour with American Sign Language expert Gabriel Arellano around the inaugural exhibition “Portraits of the World: Switzerland.” The featured work for this year’s exhibition is “Femme en Extase," a portrait of the Italian dancer Giulia Leonardi by the Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler, on loan from the Musées d'art et d'histoire de Genève. Send in your comments and questions.
We’re talking to Lee Mingwei, the artist behind our latest performance installation “Sonic Blossom.” Be sure to check out Sonic Blossom starting April 5!
Our iconic "Lansdowne" portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart recently underwent an 18 month conservation. In honor of Washington's birthday, learn more about the painting, its significance and the conservation process.
#TBT to the little unveiling that we had earlier this week. Learn about the botanicals behind President Obama from artist Kehinde Wiley himself, and see more highlights on our blog: http://ow.ly/l0EZ30iqD8H
Today has been a historic day. Thank you so much to President Barack Obama, Mrs. Michelle Obama, Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald for lending a hand in unveiling these spectacular portraits. Relive a highlight from the program before seeing them in person starting tomorrow, Feb. 13! #myNPG Hoy ha sido un día histórico en muchos aspectos. Muchas gracias al presidente @BarackObama, la señora @MichelleObama, @Kehinde Wiley y Amy Sherald por ayudarnos a presentar estos espectaculares retratos. En exhibición a partir de mañana!
Today we unveiled our commissioned portraits of former President Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama by artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, respectively. See the portraits, and listen to the remarks, in this full video of the event.
Today, The Post opens in theaters nationwide. Hear Katherine Graham discuss her early life, education and work with the Washington Post as part of the museum's Living Self-Portrait program. Full interview on the blog: http://ow.ly/B3oc30hKmyg
Today, #PortraitsoftheWorld: Switzerland opens to the public! See how we installed highlight work Femme en Extase by Ferdinand Hodler, on loan from the Musée d'art et d'histoire de la Ville de Genève. Image credit line: Femme en Extase by Ferdinand Hodler, 1911. Musées d'art et d'histoire de la Ville de Genève © Musées d'art et d'histoire, Ville de Genève, n° 1939-0042.
Artist John Ahearn talks about his work in our exhibition The Sweat of Their Face: Portraying Americans Workers. Ask him your questions in the comments!
The wait is over: the all-new, fully renovated and totally awesome America's Presidents exhibition opens this week! Check out this video documenting our installation process and see what it takes to put an exhibition on the walls.
Artist Vincent Valdez walks us through his works currently on view in our exhibition Face of Battle: Americans at War, 9/11 to Now. Ask him your questions in the comments!
Learn about John J. Pershing and WWI Remembrance with our historian Kate C. Lemay!
See "The Raft," just one of the spectacular media art installations in the Bill Viola: The #MovingPortrait show: http://ow.ly/wheC306Gidi
Have you seen Bill Viola: The #MovingPortrait yet? Here's a sneak peek of "The Dreamers." Be sure to bring your family this weekend!
The History of the American Presidency with Senior Historian David C. Ward
Have you seen our latest exhibition yet? "In the Groove: Jazz Portraits by Herman Leonard" is a must-see! http://ow.ly/u1KJ305j40x
"You can see in her expression that willingness and that trust, then you also see this sort of confusion and resistance, too." Learn more about The #Outwin2016's second prize winner #CynthiaHenebry and her portrait "Mavis in the Backseat."
The #Outwin2016 juror John Valadez talks about his experience working with our Portrait Competition.
#HelenMolesworth discusses portraiture and #Outwin2016. Don't forget to vote in the People's Choice Competition here: http://ow.ly/OWIp302QJu1 MOCA | The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
"For me, the portrait is working most effectively when it ceases to be merely an object." Learn more about what portraiture means to The #Outwin2016 juror Dawoud Bey.
After posing for thousands of x-rays, our Lansdowne portrait of George Washington has come home! He was unpacked by our expert registrars before being whisked up to our Conservation Lab, where you can visit him now.
Learn more about The #Outwin2016 and don't forget to vote in the People's Choice Competition: http://s.si.edu/1WYI8Vj
Spark innovation. Spark conversation. Spark discovery. Visit The #Outwin2016 http://bit.ly/Outwin2016
Now’s your chance to join our dedicated docent team! We are seeking a vibrant, diverse group of volunteers to work with visitors in our galleries. The only prerequisite is an enthusiasm for history, art and people. Applications are accepted through February 19, 2016. For more information and an application, please email [email protected].
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