2023 artwork by Shawn Michael Warren
An oil painting of Oprah Winfrey by Shawn Michael Warren was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. , in 2023.[ 1] [ 2] [ 3]
The painting depicts a smiling Winfrey in a voluminous purple taffeta dress by Christian Siriano , its color referring to her first film role in Steven Spielberg 's 1985 version of The Color Purple .[ 1] Winfrey is depicted walking across a grass lawn amid the oak trees of the verdant prayer garden at her estate in Montecito, California ,[ 3] holding an olive branch in her left hand.[ 1]
The artist received the commission after painting a mural of Winfrey in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago in 2020, near where Winfrey's Harpo Studios had been located until 2015.[ 4] The full-length portrait measures approximately 70 in × 56 in (180 cm × 140 cm). It has been added to the permanent collection of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.[ 5]
References
^ a b c "What the purple dress in Oprah Winfrey's new portrait really means" . www.bbc.com . Retrieved December 14, 2023 .
^ Kennicott, Philip (December 13, 2023). "Perspective | The age of Oprah is over, but her vision is now framed in Washington" . The Washington Post . ISSN 0190-8286 . Retrieved December 14, 2023 .
^ a b "Oprah Winfrey dons purple gown for Smithsonian painting: Inside the portrait unveiling" . USA TODAY . Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2023 .
^ France, Lisa Respers (December 13, 2023). "Oprah Winfrey honored with portrait at Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery" . CNN . Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023 .
^ Commissioned Portrait of Oprah Winfrey Archived December 15, 2023, at the Wayback Machine , National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian
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