Oprah Winfrey's commissioned portrait is now available for viewing in the Smithsonian Museum's National Portrait Gallery starting last Wednesday, Dec. 13., as reported in the institution's official press release. To add, the piece is also now a part of its permanent collection.
The museum employed Chicago-based artist Shawn Michael Warren to create the painting, which depicts the talk show superstar adorned in a purple taffeta dress with her California estate's garden acting as the backdrop. The portrait itself measures 6 feet 10 inches tall and 5 feet 8 inches wide.
Why Was the Oprah Winfrey Painting Made?
In light of Winfrey's renown as an international media leader, philanthropist, actor, producer, author, and entrepreneur, along with her contributions to American pop culture, the National Portrait Gallery has bestowed her with a rightfully earned spot.
The painted piece was unveiled during a ceremony that took place in the early morning of Dec. 13, at the Smithsonian's Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard. Individuals who honored and spoke about the unveiling included Winfrey herself, the painter Warren, Smithsonian secretary Lonnie Bunch, and National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet.
"Her vision and spirit deserve recognition in the nation's Portrait Gallery, and we are delighted to celebrate her with this commissioned portrait by Shawn Michael Warren, who has reflected her warmth and compassion in this painting," Sajet said, according to the release.
The oil on canvas painting's commission efforts were spearheaded by the institution's curatorial affairs director Rhea L. Combs, who similarly shared her thoughts on the piece, and Winfrey herself
"As someone who grew up in Chicago watching and admiring Oprah on television, in this painting Warren has been able to deftly capture the wonderful spirit and engaging energy of Oprah Winfrey," she said.
Why Does the Smithsonian's Portrait Gallery Commission Paintings?
The Winfrey piece is the latest addition to the Portrait Gallery's endeavor of commissioning the portraiture of relevant and notable living individuals, typically employing the help of contemporary artists. This initiative started in 1994, and since then there have been over 30 portraits made, including this particular painting.
Among this collection stand the portraits of renowned women like then-First Lady Michelle Obama and Winfrey; military leaders such as Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, Adm. Michelle J. Howard, and Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger, all of which are now retired; and it also includes athletes and entrepreneurs like Venus and Serna Williams, and Rabbi Sally Priesand.
Projects like this are part of the National Portrait Gallery's mission to tell a holistic narrative surrounding the United States' American Culture as innovated and shaped by individuals, be they poets, presidents, visionaries, villains, actors, or activists, as long as their lives tell the country's story.
