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Catalog Data

Artist:
Gustave Blache III, born 1977  Search this
Sitter:
Leah Chase, 06 Jan 1923 - 01 Jun 2019  Search this
Medium:
Oil on panel
Dimensions:
Stretcher: 21.6 x 25.4cm (8 1/2 x 10")
Frame: 37.1 x 43.8 x 3.8cm (14 5/8 x 17 1/4 x 1 1/2")
Type:
Painting
Place:
United States\Louisiana\Orleans\New Orleans
Date:
2010
Exhibition Label:
Leah Chase (1923–2019), dubbed the “Queen of Creole Cuisine,” was a restaurateur and world- renowned chef, who championed civil rights. In 1945, after marrying jazz musician Edgar “Dooky” Chase Jr., she joined the family restaurant business in New Orleans. Dooky Chase’s Restaurant became a gathering spot for Martin Luther King Jr. and other prominent civil rights activists in the 1960s. “In my dining room, we changed the course of America over a bowl of gumbo and some fried chicken,” Chase recalled. In addition to her belief in food’s ability to bring people together, she was a pious Catholic, feeling that “everything [God] throws at you is testing your strength.” Later in her life, she advocated for the arts, an endeavor she considered an important part of her legacy. The artist Gustave Blache III, who often depicts people at work, documented Chase in the kitchen for a series of portraits.
Leah Chase (1923–2019), apodada la “reina de la cocina criolla de Luisiana”, fue restauradora y chef de renombre internacional, además de defensora de los derechos civiles. En 1945 se casó con el músico de jazz Edgar “Dooky” Chase Jr. y comenzó a trabajar en su restaurante familiar en Nueva Orleans. El restaurante Dooky Chase’s se convirtió en punto de reunión de Martin Luther King Jr. y otros prominentes activistas de los derechos civiles en la década de 1960. “En mi comedor cambiamos el curso de Estados Unidos mientras comíamos gumbo y pollo frito”, recordó Chase. Además de su fe en el poder unificador de la comida, era católica devota; decía que “todo lo que [Dios] pone en tu camino es una prueba de tu fortaleza”. Más tarde fue propulsora de las artes, labor que consideraba parte importante de su legado. El artista Gustave Blache III, quien suele presentar a sus sujetos trabajando, realizó una serie de retratos que documentan a Chase en la cocina.
Topic:
Costume\Apron  Search this
Food  Search this
Interior\Kitchen  Search this
Home Furnishings\Stove  Search this
Container\Pot\Cooking  Search this
Nature & Environment\Vegetable\Squash  Search this
Costume\Headgear\Hat\Cap\Baseball cap  Search this
Leah Chase: Female  Search this
Leah Chase: Crafts and Trades\Culinary Arts\Chef  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the artist in honor of Mr. Richard C. Colton, Jr.
Object number:
C/NPG.2011.144
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
Copyright:
© Gustave Blache III
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location:
Currently not on view
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm46ff97fb2-53b6-42bc-be78-c857e7e078df
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_C_NPG.2011.144