Face-to-Face, from the National Portrait Gallery

Jim Barber, historian at NPG, discusses a portrait of Thelonious Monk by Boris Chaliapin. A leader of the postwar jazz revolution, Thelonious Monk--along with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker--sparked the "bebop" movement, a jazz style faster and more frenetic than the swing that had held sway since the thirties. Monk's piano style has been called eccentric: "his melodies were angular, his harmonies full of jarring clusters." Jim Barber, historian at the National Portrait Gallery, discussed this portrait of Thelonious Monk by Boris Chaliapin at a Face-to-Face portrait talk. The portrait was created for Time magazine and appeared on the cover of the February 28, 1964, edition. The work is displayed on the museum's third-floor mezzanine, in the exhibition "Bravo!" Recorded at NPG, February 19, 2009. Image info: Thelonious Sphere Monk / Boris Chaliapin, 1964 / Oil on canvas / National Portrait Gallery, gift of Time magazine

The NPG's Lauren Johnson discusses a portrait of Maria Callas by Henry Koerner. In a postwar opera world that needed stars, Maria Callas was said to have "restored the ancient luster to the title of prima donna." Born in New York and raised in Greece, Callas, by sheer force of personality and artistry, rejuvenated the public's interest in this classic music genre. The National Portrait Gallery's Lauren Johnson discussed this 1956 portrait of Callas by Henry Koerner at a Face-to-Face portrait talk. The work is displayed on the museum's third-floor mezzanine, in the exhibition "Bravo!" Recorded at NPG, February 12, 2009. Image info: Maria Callas / Henry Koerner, 1956 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine / Frame conserved with funds from the Smithsonian Women's Committee

Maya Foo, researcher at NPG, discusses a portrait of Bette Midler by artist Richard Amsel. Richard Amsel, an emerging talent who had recently won a nationwide contest to design the poster for Hello, Dolly!, caught Midler's energy and flair in his 1973 poster. Midler's accompanist, Barry Manilow, who produced her first and second albums, admired Amsel's work, and Midler agreed he should design the cover and advertising art. Amsel's stylized strutting figure graced Midler's second album, promoted a national tour, and here announced her appearance to sold-out audiences at New York's Palace Theater in December 1973. A similar image was reused for later albums and tours. This poster was on view in the exhibition "Ballyhoo: Posters as Portraiture," view the online exhibition at: http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/ballyhoo/index.html . Recorded at NPG, February 5, 2009. Image info: Bette Midler/ Richard Amsel, 1973 / Color photolithographic poster/ National Portrait Gallery; gift of Jack Rennert/ Copyright Richard Amsel

Ann Shumard, curator of photographs at NPG, discussed this portrait of Michael J. Fox by Steve Pyke. The image is on display in the exhibition "Portraiture Now: Feature Photography." View the online exhibition at: http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/feature . Recorded at NPG, January 29, 2009. Image info: Michael J. Fox / Steve Pyke / Gelatin silver print, 2007 / Collection of the artist, courtesy Flowers Gallery, New York City / Copyright Steve Pyke

Brandon Fortune, curator of painting and scuplture at NPG, discusses a portrait by photographer Alec Soth. The photograph - titled Adelyn, Ash Wednesday, New Orleans, Louisiana - was taken by Soth in New Orleans, while he was working on his book Sleeping by the Mississippi (2004). The image is on display in the recently opened exhibition "Portraiture Now: Feature Photography." View the online exhibition at: http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/feature . Recorded at NPG, January 22, 2009. Image info: Adelyn, Ash Wednesday, New Orleans, Louisiana / Alec Soth / Chromogenic print, 2000 / Collection of the artist, courtesy Gagosian Gallery, New York City / Copyright Alec Soth

The portrait that came to symbolize the historic campaign of President-elect Barack Obama is now on display at the National Portrait Gallery. This large-scale mixed-media stenciled collage is on view in the "New Arrivals" exhibition, on the museum's first floor. Fairey's Barack Obama "Hope" poster became the iconic campaign image for the first African American president of the United States. Early in 2008, Fairey produced his first Obama portrait, with a stenciled face, visionary upward glance, and the caption "Progress." In this second version, Fairey repeated the heroic pose and patriotic color scheme, substituting the slogan "Hope." Recorded at NPG, January 17, 2009. Image info: Barack Obama / Shepard Fairey, 2008 / Hand-finished collage, stencil and acrylic on paper / Gift of the Heather and Tony Podesta Collection in honor of Mary K. Podesta / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution / Copyright Shepard Fairey/ObeyGiant.com

Frank Goodyear, curator at NPG, discussed this self-portrait by photographer Ryan McGinley. The portrait, Untitled (Morrissey 1), has the English musician Morrissey in the background. The photograph is on display in the recently opened exhibition "Portraiture Now: Feature Photography." View the online exhibition at: http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/feature . Recorded at NPG, January 15, 2009. Image info: Untitled (Morrissey 1) / Ryan McGinley 2004-6 / Chromogenic print / Ann and Mel Schaffer Family Collection / Copyright Ryan McGinley

Martin Sullivan, director of NPG, discusses portraits from the exhibition "Four Indian Kings."The paintings for this special installation were lent by the Portrait Gallery of Canada, a program of the Library and Archives of Canada. In 1710, a delegation of four Native American leaders--three Mohawk from the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) alliance and one Mohican from the Algonquin nations--traveled to the Court of Queen Anne in London. The delegation traveled to London with British military leaders seeking to court support against competing French and their allied Native interests in North America. To commemorate the delegates' visit, Queen Anne commissioned John Verelst, a Dutch portrait artist residing in London, to paint their official portraits. They are the earliest known surviving oil portraits from life of Native people of North America. So popular were the "Four Indian Kings" that printmaker John Simon created mezzotints after these paintings. While the "Four Kings," as they became known, were not the first Native visitors to Britain, their presence at Court and their interactions with Londoners, who treated them as celebrities, ignited the British imagination. Poems, ballads, and music were written about them. View the online exhibition at: http://npg.si.edu/exhibit/kings/slideshow/kings.htm . Recorded at NPG, November 6, 2008. Image info: Sa Ga Yeath Qua Pieth Tow, King of the Maquas, lifedates unknown / John Verelst (c. 1675-1734) / Oil on canvas, 1710 / Library and Archives Canada / Acquired with a special grant from the Canadian Government, 1977

Anne Goodyear, who is assistant curator of prints and drawings at NPG, discussed this portrait of Cindy Sherman by photographer Martin Schoeller. The portrait is on display in the recently opened exhibition "Portraiture Now: Feature Photography." Cindy Sherman, who is well known for creating photographs of herself adopting a broad range of persona, has a face that is surprisingly unfamiliar to viewers. Schoeller's portrait of Sherman, originally published with a New Yorker profile by Calvin Tomkins, "Her Secret Identities," unmasks the influential artist. View the online exhibition at: http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/feature . Recorded at NPG, January 8, 2009. Image info: Cindy Sherman / Martin Schoeller, 2000 / Digital C-print / Collection of the artist, courtesy Hasted Hunt, New York City / Copyright Martin Schoeller

Warren Perry, researcher at NPG, discusses a portrait of Elvis Presley by Ralph Wolfe Cowan. On this day in 1935, Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. Many stories about the King of Rock and Roll have taken on monumental and mythical status. Most everyone who has heard of Elvis has also heard the story about the King shooting the television set, the late-night exploits of the Memphis Mafia at Graceland, or Elvis flying from Memphis to Denver to pick up a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. Recorded at NPG, January 8, 2009. Image info: Elvis Aron Presley / Ralph Wolfe Cowan,1976-1988 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of R.W. Cowan

Carolyn Carr, deputy director of NPG, discusses the aquisition of the Barack Obama "Hope" poster by Shepard Fairey. Interview by NPG's Warren Perry. The portrait that came to symbolize the historic campaign of President-elect Barack Obama will make its permanent home only a few blocks from the White House at the National Portrait Gallery. The piece, created by Los Angeles artist Shepard Fairey, came to the museum through the generosity of Washington, D.C., art collectors Heather and Tony Podesta, in honor of Tony Podesta's mother, the late Mary K. Podesta. Recorded at NPG, January, 2009. Image info: Barack Obama / Shepard Fairey, 2008 / Hand-finished collage, stencil and acrylic on paper / Gift of the Heather and Tony Podesta Collection in honor of Mary K. Podesta / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution / Copyright Shepard Fairey/ObeyGiant.com

Anne Goodyear, who is assistant curator of prints and drawings at NPG, discussed this portrait of Barack Obama by photographer Martin Schoeller. The portrait is on display in the exhibition "Portraiture Now: Feature Photography." Martin Schoeller photographed Barack Obama for a December 2004 feature on "Men of the Year," in Gentleman's Quarterly (GQ), where a variant of this photograph appeared. View the online exhibition at: http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/feature/index.html . Recorded at NPG, December 18, 2008. Image info: Barack Obama/Martin Schoeller, 2004 / Digital C-print/Collection of the artist, courtesy Hasted Hunt, New York City / Copyright Martin Schoeller

Aleksander Titovets was selected by the White House to paint Laura Bush's portrait. Titovets is a native Russian painter who now lives in El Paso, Texas. Trained at the St. Petersburg State University College of Fine Arts, he specializes in figurative and landscape painting inspired by his native Russia as well as the landscape of the Southwest. Initially, the portrait of Laura Bush will be hung on the first floor in the north hall of the National Portrait Gallery. Interview by Warren Perry. Recorded at NPG, at the unveiling ceremony, December 19, 2008. Image info: Laura Bush/ Aleksander Titovets, 2008/ Oil on canvas/National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution / Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. O. Stewart

Robert Anderson was selected by the White House to paint George W. Bush's presidential portrait portrait. Anderson was a classmate of Bush's at Yale University and received his training in fine arts at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. A professional portraitist based in Darien, Conn., Anderson has also painted a portrait of Bush for the Yale Club in New York. Bush's portrait is installed in the exhibition "America's Presidents," on the museum's second floor. Interview by Warren Perry. Recorded at NPG, at the unveiling ceremony, December 19, 2008. Image info: George W. Bush / Robert Anderson , 2008 / Oil on canvas / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution / Gift of American Fidelity Foundation, J. Thomas and Stefanie Atherton, William S. and Ann Atherton, Dr. Jon C. and Jane G. Axton, Dr. Lee and Sherry Beasley, Thomas A. Cellucci, A. James Clark, Richard H. Collins, Edward and Kaye Cook, Don and Alice Dahlgren, Mr. and Mrs. James L. Easton, Robert Edmund, Robert and Nancy Payne Ellis, Dr. Tom and Cheryl Hewett, Dr. Dodge and Lori Hill, Pete and Shelley Kourtis, Tom and Judy Love, David L. McCombs, Tom and Brenda McDaniel, Herman and LaDonna Meinders, The Norick Family, Kenneth and Gail Ochs, Robert and Sylvia Slater, Richard L. Thurston, Lew and Myra Ward, Dr. James and Susan Wendelken, Jim and Jill Williams

President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush unveiled portraits of themselves commissioned for the National Portrait Gallery in a private ceremony at the museum this morning. The speakers are Martin E. Sullivan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery; G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; Mrs. Laura Bush; and President George W. Bush. This is the first time that the Portrait Gallery presented the official likenesses of a sitting president and first lady. President Bush's portrait is installed in the exhibition "America's Presidents," on the museum's second floor. The portrait of Laura Bush is hung on the first floor in the north hall of the National Portrait Gallery. Recorded at NPG, December 19, 2008. Image info: George W. Bush / Robert Anderson , 2008 / Oil on canvas / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution / Gift of American Fidelity Foundation, J. Thomas and Stefanie Atherton, William S. and Ann Atherton, Dr. Jon C. and Jane G. Axton, Dr. Lee and Sherry Beasley, Thomas A. Cellucci, A. James Clark, Richard H. Collins, Edward and Kaye Cook, Don and Alice Dahlgren, Mr. and Mrs. James L. Easton, Robert Edmund, Robert and Nancy Payne Ellis, Dr. Tom and Cheryl Hewett, Dr. Dodge and Lori Hill, Pete and Shelley Kourtis, Tom and Judy Love, David L. McCombs, Tom and Brenda McDaniel, Herman and LaDonna Meinders, The Norick Family, Kenneth and Gail Ochs, Robert and Sylvia Slater, Richard L. Thurston, Lew and Myra Ward, Dr. James and Susan Wendelken, Jim and Jill Williams