Face-to-Face, from the National Portrait Gallery

General Colin Powell's portrait, by artist Ronald Sherr, was unveiled and added to the National Portrait Gallery collection on December 2, 2012. Sherr discussed his portrait in this gallery talk, December 3, 2012. Ronald Sherr painted the National Portrait Gallery's recently unveiled portrait of General Colin Powell and is also responsible for the gallery's portrait of President George H. W. Bush, acquired in 1995. Sherr's portrait of Powell is no small work--it measures 92 1/2 by 51 3/4 inches; the artist portrays the general standing in front of Theodore Roosevelt Hall at the National War College at Fort McNair in Washington D. C. Though Sherr resides in Hong Kong, the painting was completed during several life sittings and with the aid of photographs taken by the artist. General Powell noted of the work, "People will be coming to the National Portrait Gallery and seeing this picture of me, but what they will be seeing is Ron's artistry and his brilliance." View the unveiling of the Colin Powell portrait: http://youtu.be/Z6YhEhanBaI Image: Gen. Colin Powell / Ronald N. Sherr / Oil on canvas, 2012 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; supported by a grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and by the Marc Pachter Commissioning Fund

General Colin Powell's portrait, by artist Ronald Sherr, was unveiled and added to the National Portrait Gallery collection on December 2, 2012. Powell was interviewed by NPR's Michele Norris as part of the ceremony. Speaking, in order of appearance: Wendy Wick Reaves, interim director of the National Portrait Gallery; Jack Watson, chair of the National Portrait Gallery's commission; artist Ronald Sherr; NPR's Michele Norris, and General Colin Powell. Recorded at NPG, December 2, 2012. Image: Gen. Colin Powell / Ronald N. Sherr / Oil on canvas, 2012 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; supported by a grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and by the Marc Pachter Commissioning Fund

Amy Henderson, historian at NPG, discusses Samuel F. B. Morse and the painting "Men of Progress" by artist Christian Schussele. Recorded at NPG, November 15, 2012. Men of Progress / Christian Schussele / Oil on canvas, 1862 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the National Gallery of Art; gift of the A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, 1942 . Samuel Morse's Telegraph Patent Model, Patent #28159 / Inventor: Samuel Finley Breese Morse / Artist: Unidentified Maker / Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Behring Center; Division of the History of Technology (Electricity)

Warren Perry, writer at NPG, talks about a portrait of Richard Nixon by Norman Rockwell -- The National Portrait Gallery's Warren Perry discusses a portrait of Richard Nixon by Peter Norman Rockwell, on view in the "America's Presidents" exhibition on the second floor. Recorded at NPG, October 17 2012. Image: Richard Milhous Nixon / Norman Rockwell / Oil on canvas, 1968 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; donated to the people of the United States of America by the Richard Nixon Foundation / © The Norman Rockwell Estate Licensing Co.

Warren Perry, writer at NPG, talks about a portrait of Lyndon Johnson by Peter Hurd -- The National Portrait Gallery's Warren Perry discusses a portrait of Lyndon Johnson by Peter Hurd, on view in the "America's Presidents" exhibition on the second floor. Recorded at NPG, October 17 2012. Image: Lyndon Baines Johnson / Peter Hurd / Tempera on wood, 1967 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the artist; Frame conserved with funds from the Smithsonian Women's Committee

"John Quincy Adams" -- author Harlow Unger discusses his book. Recorded at NPG, September 30, 2012.

Warren Perry, writer at NPG, talks about a portrait of FDR by Douglas Chandor -- The National Portrait Gallery's Warren Perry discusses a portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Douglas Chandor, on view in the "America's Presidents" exhibition on the second floor. Recorded at NPG, September 2012. Image: Franklin D. Roosevelt, study for unexecuted painting, The Big Three at Yalta / Douglas Granville Chandor / Oil on canvas, 1945 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

FDR by sculptor Jo Davidson -- A look at two busts of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by sculptor Jo Davidson, one a gigantic work weighing around 2,000 pounds, the other a small metal piece on view in the National Portrait Gallery's permanent exhibition "Jo Davidson: Biographer in Bronze." Both are based on FDR's 1934 sitting with Jo Davidson. Recorded August and September 2012. Music: "Something Elated" by Broke For Free, used via Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/netBloc_Vol_37_FIVE/07_-_Broke_For_Free_-_Something_Elated

Warren Perry, writer at NPG, talks about F. Scott Fitzgerald -- The National Portrait Gallery's Warren Perry discusses a portrait of Ernest Hemingway by artist Waldo Peirce, on view in the exhibition "Twentieth Century Americans" on the third floor. Recorded at NPG, August 23, 2012. Image: F. Scott Fitzgerald/ David Silvette / Oil on canvas, 1935 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Ernest Hemingway, Portrait in a Minute -- The National Portrait Gallery's Warren Perry discusses a portrait of Ernest Hemingway by artist Waldo Peirce, on view in the exhibition "Twentieth Century Americans" on the third floor. Recorded at NPG, August 23, 2012. Image: Ernest Miller Hemingway / Waldo Peirce / Ink on paper, 1928 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Jonathan Peirce

Charles Willson Peale self-portrait, Face-to-Face talk -- David Ward, historian at NPG, talks about artist Charles Willson Peale. Recorded at NPG, October 27, 2011. Image: Charles Willson Peale Self-Portrait / Oil on canvas, c. 1791 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Frame conserved with funds from the Smithsonian Women's Committee

A Conversation with Alice Waters: Chef Jose Andres interviews Alice Waters, activist, author, and chef. Introductions by Martin Sullivan, director of the NPG, and Jack Watson, chairman of the NPG board. On January 20, 2012, The National Portrait Gallery celebrated its newest acquisition with a reception featuring renowned chef Alice Waters and some of the Washington region's most acclaimed masters of the kitchen. A portrait of Alice Waters, by Dave Woody, winner of the NPG's 2009 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition (OBPC), was installed that evening. Recorded at NPG, January 20, 2012. Image: Alice Waters / Dave Woody / Pigment print, 2010 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquired through the Marc Pachter Commissioning Fund as part of the first prize, Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2009

Miguel Covarrubias, caricature artist of 1920s America. Warren Perry, writer at the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, discusses Mexican artist Miguel Covarrubias and his works in the NPG collection, particularly a circa 1925 portrait of President Calvin Coolidge. Miguel Covarrubias appeared on the New York art scene in the 1920s, and his skill as a portrait artist and celebrity caricaturist quickly made him a favorite of magazines. Covarrubias transitioned from caricaturist to curator over the next many years of his life, and while his caricatures will always be treasures, his work as an anthropologist laid the foundation for modern studies of the Balinese--his work on Bali is still considered one of the primary texts of the island's culture--and for studies of the ancient Olmec and Mexican world. For more on Miguel Covarrubias, see the NPG blog: http://face2face.si.edu/my_weblog/2012/06/miguel-covarrubias-caricatures-of-the-jazz-age-and-the-harlem-renaissance.html Recorded at NPG, July 10, 2012.

Civil rights leader Vernon Jordan was interviewed at a public event at the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Jordan was interviewed by Marc Pachter, former NPG director. Recorded at NPG, April 9, 2012.

The John Carlos Story" -- olympian John Carlos discusses his memoir. Introduction by writer Dave Zirin. Dave Zirin and John Wesley Carlos discuss and sign copies of "The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World." Seen around the world, John Carlos and Tommie Smith's Black Power salute on the 1968 Olympic podium sparked controversy and career fallout. Yet their show of defiance remains one of the most iconic images of Olympic history and the Black Power movement. Here is the remarkable story of one of the men behind the salute, lifelong activist John Carlos.