The National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC

 

 

Toni Morrison by Robert McCurdy

I really enjoy visiting the museums of Washington DC. A small city, DC has a multitude of history and art museums to explore. On of my favorite places is the National Portrait Gallery (NPG). I used to believe that portrait galleries were to be avoided. I thought that they were basically collections of pictures of rich people who were “important” in history, but not really interesting to me. That is not the case for the NPG.

The NPG shares my favorite museum building in DC with the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The Old Patent Office Building was constructed between 1836 and 1867 in a Greek Revival style. My favorite feature of the building is its courtyard, which was given a glass roof when the museums were renovated in the early 2000’s. I love that they truly share the space, placing shows in whichever gallery is best suited to them. This means that as you walk through the building, you move back and forth between the two museums.

The NPG has many permanent exhibitions, most famously a collection of portraits of all 46 presidents of the United States. Town of the smaller permanent shows are Bravo and Champions. Bravo occupies the mezzanine over looking part of the third floor of the building. It is composed of portraits of performers of the stage and screen.

Lotte Lenya by Saul Bolsani

Leontyne Price by Bradley Phillips

Paul Robeson by Betsy Graves Rayneau

Tellulah Bankhead by Augustus John

On the other side of the this same third floor gallery, the mezzanine holds Champions, featuring portraits of athletes.

Juan Marichel by Gerald Gooch

Joe Louis by Betsy Graves Rayneau

The main exhibition space on the third floor is dedicated to portraits of famous people who have lived during the 20th and 21st centuries. The focus is not the “rich and mighty”. These are scientists and artists, writers and dancers, faces from the world of news and culture, but not necessarily the board room. 

Dashiell Hammett by Edward Biberman

Albert Einstein by Max Westfield

Merce Cunningham by Elaine de Koonig

Kathering Hepburn by Everett Raymond Kinstler

Linus Pauling by Alice Neal

The second floor of the NPG has an exhibit titled Brilliant Exiles - American Women in Paris 1900-1930 (through Feb 23, 2025). These are portraits of women who left the U.S. for France. They were looking for the freedom to live and work in ways that were not available at home due to their gender, race and/or sexual orientation.

Josephine Baker by Paul Colin

Ethel Waters by Luigi Lucioni

Gertrude Stein by Pablo Picasso

The last exhibit I visited was Fighters for Freedom. While this was actually offered by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, it fits in completely with the NPG.  Here are the portraits of people who spent their lives taking on the battle for civil and political rights. This show has now closed in DC, but will be touring the country for the next year.

John Brown by Ole Peter Hansen Balling

Carmen de Lavellade by Michele Mattei

Octavia Butler by Bisa Butler

The National Portrait Gallery offers a wide range of subjects. It strives to present a view of American history that is inclusive of many of the people and struggles that we have and are going through.

Nuts and Bolts

The National Portrait Gallery is located at 8th and G streets in Washington DC. The admission is free at all times. It is open Sat - Sun 11:30 AM - 7:00 PM. The NPG is closed on Dec. 25th.