Existing comment:
Portraits of the U.S. presidents are both celebratory and interrogatory; they commemorate a term in office and serve as a political signpost by which we judge both the man (and so far they have all been men) and the job they did as chief executive. Through the lens of biography and art we can enter into history and make the past comprehensible to the present.
The history of the presidency constantly evolves in reaction to changes in American society and culture. In response to ten years of historical change, the National Portrait Gallery is undertaking a major renovation of its "America's Presidents" exhibition to keep the conversation both intellectually and visually up-to-date. In the tradition of adding the portrait of each president after they have left office, we are including for the first time a photographic diptych of Barack Obama by artist Chuck Close. The museum is presently completing the official portrait commissions of the former president and first lady, to be unveiled next year.
The refurbished galleries will reopen on September 22, 2017, and include the iconic "Lansdowne" portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart, which is presently undergoing conservation. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this temporary installation, which includes Hindsight Is Always 20/20 by artist Luke Dubois. Creating a "word cloud" out of forty-one presidential State of the Union addresses and placing the most-often-used words into the familiar format of an eye chart, Dubois provides a quick and fascinating look back into presidential history. |