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Catalog Data

Artist:
Roberto Montenegro, 1887 - 1968  Search this
Sitter:
Helena Rubinstein, 25 Dec 1870 - 1 Apr 1965  Search this
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
Stretcher: 80 x 70.7cm (31 1/2 x 27 13/16")
Frame: 90.3 x 80.2 x 6cm (35 9/16 x 31 9/16 x 2 3/8")
Type:
Painting
Place:
México
Date:
1941
Exhibition Label:
Born Krakow, Poland
Helena Rubinstein triumphed in a male-dominated business world, working methodically toward her goals. She first made her reputation through the specialized treatments she offered to women at her exclusive salons, but she amassed her fortune in the 1920s by selling mass-produced cosmetics internationally. Her legendary career paved the way for other entrepreneurial women. Mexican artist Roberto Montenegro here captures her dynamic personality and dramatic flair. He depicts Rubinstein wearing a specially designed necklace made by William Spratling, who created a center for Mexican jewelry in Taxco during the 1930s. Rubinstein wrote in her autobiography, “Although I no longer need the added courage that handsome jewelry once gave me (it was not easy being a hard-working woman in a man’s world many years ago), I am aware that the wearing of exotic jewelry has become . . . a mark of my identity.”
Provenance:
The sitter; her foundation; (Sotheby’s), New York; purchased NPG 2011
Topic:
Costume\Jewelry\Necklace  Search this
Costume\Jewelry\Earring  Search this
Costume\Jewelry\Ring  Search this
Costume\Dress Accessory\Scarf  Search this
Helena Rubinstein: Female  Search this
Helena Rubinstein: Literature\Writer  Search this
Helena Rubinstein: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Business executive  Search this
Helena Rubinstein: Visual Arts\Art collector  Search this
Helena Rubinstein: Society and Social Change\Philanthropist  Search this
Helena Rubinstein: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Industrialist\Manufacturer\Cosmetics  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Object number:
NPG.2011.141
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location:
Currently not on view
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4c870feaf-c008-4c3a-b92a-e05f8104a983
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_NPG.2011.141