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Catalog Data

Artist:
Betsy Graves Reyneau, 1888 - 1964  Search this
Sitter:
Ralph Johnson Bunche, 7 Aug 1904 - 9 Dec 1971  Search this
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
127cm x 84.3cm (50" x 33 3/16"), Accurate
Type:
Painting
Date:
1948
Provenance:
Commissioned by the Harmon Foundation; gift 1967 to NPG.
Collection Description:
The Harmon Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in New York City (active 1922–1967), included this portrait in their exhibition Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin, which opened at the Smithsonian in 1944 and documented noteworthy African Americans’ contributions to the country. Modeling their goal of social equality, the Harmon sought portraits from African American artist Laura Wheeler Waring and Euro-American artist Betsy Graves Reyneau. The two painters followed the conventional codes of academic portraiture, seeking to convey their sitters’ extraordinary accomplishments. This painting, along with a variety of educational materials, toured nation-wide for ten years, serving as a visual rebuttal to racism.
La Harmon Foundation, entidad filantrópica con sede en la ciudad de Nueva York (activa entre 1922 y 1967), incluyó este retrato en Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin (Retratos de estadounidenses destacados de origen negro), una exposición inaugurada en la Smithsonian en 1944 que documentó las aportaciones de afroamericanos notables al país. A tono con sus ideales de igualdad social, la fundación encargó retratos a la artista afroamericana Laura Wheeler Waring y a la euroamericana Betsy Graves Reyneau. Ambas adoptaron los códigos convencionales del retrato académico para comunicar en sus obras los logros extraordinarios de sus modelos. Esta pintura, junto con diversos materiales educativos, viajó por la nación durante diez años planteando una impugnación visual del racismo.
Topic:
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair  Search this
Interior\Office  Search this
Equipment\Smoking Implements\Cigarette  Search this
Costume\Dress Accessory\Handkerchief  Search this
Printed Material\Map  Search this
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Necktie  Search this
Ralph Johnson Bunche: Male  Search this
Ralph Johnson Bunche: Literature\Writer  Search this
Ralph Johnson Bunche: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Professor\University  Search this
Ralph Johnson Bunche: Education and Scholarship\Administrator\University administrator\University trustee  Search this
Ralph Johnson Bunche: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist  Search this
Ralph Johnson Bunche: Politics and Government\US Representative to United Nations  Search this
Ralph Johnson Bunche: Education and Scholarship\Scholar\Sociologist  Search this
Ralph Johnson Bunche: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Peace activist  Search this
Ralph Johnson Bunche: Nobel Prize  Search this
Ralph Johnson Bunche: Presidential Medal of Freedom  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Harmon Foundation
Object number:
NPG.67.30
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
Copyright:
© Peter Edward Fayard
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location:
Currently not on view
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4c91069ca-8ee6-456a-a31c-1ed73d53cc62
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_NPG.67.30