Face-to-Face, from the National Portrait Gallery

Amy Henderson, historian at NPG, discusses newspaper publisher Katharine Graham. Newspaper publisher Katharine Graham (1917-2001) led an extraordinary life in extraordinary times. Born into privilege, she was catapulted onto the international stage as publisher of The Washington Post during the Watergate scandal. The National Portrait Gallery's exhibition "One Life: Katharine Graham" is on view from October 1, 2010 through May 30, 2011. It includes several photographs to narrate key moments in her life including a portrait by Richard Avedon, drawings, original newspapers from the time of the Watergate scandal, the Pulitzer Prize for her memoir, "Personal History" (1998) and video of a Living Self-Portrait interview of Graham by former Portrait Gallery director Marc Pachter. Amy Henderson is the curator for this exhibition. Recorded at NPG, March 3, 2011. Image: Katharine Graham / Richard Avedon, 1976/ Gelatin silver print / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; this acquisition was made possible by generous contributions of the Jeane W. Austin and the James Smithson Society/ Copyright Richard Avedon

David C Ward, historian at NPG, discusses the "Wings" Nike poster of Michael Jordan, by Gary Nolton. One of Nike's most famous posters, "Wings" features Chicago Bulls basketball legend Michael Jordan along with a quote from poet William Blake, "No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings." With Jordan as their marquee player, the Bulls dominated the NBA in the 1990s. Jordan could also claim one NCAA championship with the University of North Carolina and six NBA championships. He was a five-time league MVP and a two-time Olympic gold-medal winner, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and briefly played minor-league baseball. In addition to his extraordinary athletic achievements, Jordan became the most successful advertising figure the world had ever known. The "Wings" poster documents a shift in athletes' earning potential from their performance to their endorsement deals; it also marks a historic moment when African American sports figures could serve as role models to all Americans. Recorded at NPG, February 10, 2011. Image: Michael Jordan / Gary Nolton / Halftone poster, 1989 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

"Inventing George Washington: America's Founder, in Myth and Memory" discussion by author Edward G. Lengel. From Harper Collins website: George Washington's death on December 14, 1799, dealt a dreadful blow to public morale. For three decades, Americans had depended on his leadership to guide them through every trial. At the cusp of a new century, the fledgling nation, caught in another war (this time with its former ally France), desperately needed to believe that Washington was--and would continue to be--there for them. Thus began the extraordinary immortalization of this towering historical figure. "In Inventing George Washington", historian Edward G. Lengel shows how the late president and war hero continued to serve his nation on two distinct levels. The public Washington evolved into an eternal symbol as Father of His Country, while the private man remained at the periphery of the national vision--always just out of reach--for successive generations yearning to know him as never before. Both images, public and private, were vital to perceptions Americans had of their nation and themselves. Yet over time, as Lengel shows, the contrasting and simultaneous urges to deify Washington and to understand him as a man have produced tensions that have played out in every generation. As some exalted him, others sought to bring him down to earth, creating a series of competing mythologies that depicted Washington as every sort of human being imaginable. "Inventing George Washington" explores these representations, shedding new light on this national emblem, our nation itself, and who we are. Recorded at NPG, February 16, 2011.

David C. Ward, historian and co-curator of "Hide/Seek," discusses Marsden Hartley's portrait of Hart Crane titled "Eight Bells Folly: Memorial to Hart Crane." When the great romantic modernist poet Hart Crane committed suicide, artist Marsden Hartley memorialized him by reverting to the style in which he had painted Karl von Freyburg (see Painting No. 47, Berlin in this exhibition). Crane and Hartley had a difficult relationship in which the always fastidious Hartley disparaged Crane's careless ebullience and love for cruising Manhattan's streets. Packed into Eight Bells Folly were references to Crane's age (thirty-three), his life, his death by jumping off a ship, and, above all, his poetry. Over the entire painting looms a blood-tinged sun (Crane died at high noon, or "eight bells") and two arcs symbolizing the subject of Crane's great poem, The Bridge (1930). Put off by Crane, yet fascinated by him, Hartley signaled his ultimate connection to Crane by calling him, in a memorial poem, Hermano-or brother. Recorded at NPG, January 6, 2011. Image: "Eight Bells Folly: Memorial to Hart Crane" / Marsden Hartley / Oil on canvas, 1933 / Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota. Gift of Ione and Hudson D. Walker.1961.4.

Warren Perry, researcher at NPG, discusses Andy Warhol's portrait of Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson rocketed to fame-first with his brothers, the Jackson 5, whose first four singles (including "ABC" and "I Want You Back") topped the charts in 1970-and then through solo albums. Jackson was clearly one of the biggest pop stars of the 1980s, and his album Thriller (1982) was a huge popular and critical success, winning an unprecedented eight Grammy Awards. In 1984, when Time magazine commissioned Andy Warhol to make Jackson's portrait, the slightly built dancer and singer was at the height of his fame, and Warhol was the perfect choice to transform Jackson into a pop celebrity icon. The then-twenty-six-year-old star is preserved by Warhol, even though this image had been replaced in the public mind, until the singer's 2009 death, by his masklike visage. Recorded at NPG, October 14, 2010 Image: Michael Jackson / Andy Warhol / Synthetic polymer and silkscreen on canvas, 1984 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine; copyright Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / ARS, New York

A conversation with David C. Ward, co-curator of "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture." Presented by the Washington DC Jewish Community Center in collaboration with Catherine V. Dawson and Transformer. David C. Ward in conversation with Tyler Green editor and writer of Modern Art Notes; Victoria Reis, co-founder of Transformer; and Dafna Steinberg, artist and director of Ann Loeb Bronfmann Gallery at Washington DCJCC. Recorded at DCJCC, December 20, 2010.

Caricature artist John Kascht discusses celebrity, image-making, and his portraits of Alan Greenspan and Warren Buffett that are currently on view in the exhibition "Twentieth Century Americans." Kascht has published work on the pages of GQ, Times, and the New Yorker. The National Portrait Gallery has 23 of his portraits in its collection. Recorded at NPG, December 11, 2010. Image: Alan Greenspan / John Kascht / Watercolor, colored ink and graphite on paper, 1999 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; copyright John Kascht

Steven Weisman discusses his book "Daniel Patrick Moynihan: A Portrait in Letters of an American Visionary"Recorded at NPG, December 8, 2010.

Oveta Culp Hobby portrait, Face-to-Face talk. By her early thirties, Oveta Culp Hobby had helped to codify the banking laws of her native Texas, been an assistant to Houston's city attorney, and served as an editor and executive vice president of the Houston Post. Hobby's already substantial accomplishments only whetted her appetite for other challenges. When this portrait appeared on Time's cover in 1944, she was the commanding officer of the Women's Army Corps, charged with directing one of this country's first experiments in utilizing women in the military. The experiment was succeeding overall, and the performance of Hobby's WACs had long since disputed the initial spate of cynical remarks about a woman's unfitness for the military. But one problem still persisted: much to Hobby's disappointment, the numbers of WAC enlistments had fallen well short of the army's original hopes. Recorded at NPG, October 28, 2010. Image: Oveta Culp Hobby / Ernest Hamlin Baker / Gouache on paper, 1944 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Oveta Culp Hobby; copyright Ernest Hamlin Baker

Charles Schulz, portrait presentation. Speakers: Martin Sullivan, director of the National Portrait Gallery; Edwin C. Anderson, friend of Schulz; Lee Mendelson, producer of "Peanuts" films; Estrellita Karsh, photograph donor; and Jean Schulz, widow of Schulz. A photograph of "Peanuts" creator Charles M. Schulz (1922-2000) was presented to the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in a ceremony for invited guests on October 1, 2010. The event recognized the cartoonist's impact on millions of people worldwide and coincides with commemorations surrounding the 60th anniversary of "Peanuts." Image: Charles Schulz / Yousuf Karsh / Chromogenic print, 1986 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Estrellita Karsh in memory of Yousuf Karsh . More about Schulz and his portrait in this article from the NPG's blog: http://face2face.si.edu/my_weblog/2010/10/portrait-of-charles-schulz-commemorates-the-60th-anniversary-of-peanuts-debut.html

Jack Pierson, artist talk. Jack Pierson discusses his works on view in "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture." Recorded at NPG, November 7, 2010. Image: Self-portrait 3 / Jack Pierson / Pigment print. 2003 / James R. Hedges, IV. / Courtesy Cheim and Read, New York / Copyright Jack Pierson Image: Barry Morris Goldwater / Bernard Safran / Acrylic on board, 1964 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine

Barry Goldwater, Face-to-Face talk. Born Phoenix, Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater's failed 1964 presidential campaign laid the groundwork for the subsequent triumph of Republican conservatism. Challenging the Republican establishment for its timidity, Goldwater provided a full-throated critique of New Deal and Great Society liberalism. Goldwater lost to Johnson in a landslide, in part because he was depicted as a dangerous extremist who threatened prosperity at home and peace abroad through his reactionary programs. Goldwater returned to the Senate, where he rose to the status of Washington "wise man," helping usher Richard Nixon from office in 1974. He lived long enough to see his more aggressive, populist vision of the Republican Party, one based in the South and West, triumph under Ronald Reagan. Recorded at NPG, October 7, 2010. Image: Barry Morris Goldwater / Bernard Safran / Acrylic on board, 1964 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine

Thomas Jefferson portrait by Mather Brown, Face-to-Face talk. As the new American republic emerged from its war with the mother country, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, collaborators in the formulation of the Declaration of Independence (although Jefferson wrote the final document), were brought together as trade negotiators in France, where their mutual respect turned into friendship. In the spring of 1786--when Jefferson was the American minister to France and Adams the American minister to England--Jefferson visited Adams, who suggested that he pose for the young Boston-born artist Mather Brown. An exchange of portraits between the two colleagues ensued. This painting, the earliest known likeness of Jefferson, remained in Adams's family until given to the nation in 1999. The background contains the classical figure of Freedom holding a staff topped by a cap, which had its origins in the conical cloth cap adopted by freed Roman slaves as the symbol of their liberty. Recorded at NPG, July, 22, 2010. Image: Thomas Jefferson / Mather Brown / Oil on canvas, 1786 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; bequest of Charles Francis Adams; Frame conserved with funds from the Smithsonian Women's Committee

Chuck Close's portrait of Bill Clinton, Face-to-Face talk. A key to Bill Clinton's successes as president, along with his resilience and personal affability, was his determination to govern through consensus. Major accomplishments, such as welfare reform, the first budget surplus since the late 1960s, and successful U.S. intervention in the Balkans stemmed from this pragmatic viewpoint. Other proposals, such as universal health care, failed. His administration was plagued by several scandals, such as Whitewater and the consequences of his affair with a White House intern. His denial under oath about this relationship led to his impeachment. He was not convicted in the Senate trial, however, and his popularity actually increased as Americans continued to admire Clinton for his political talents, quick intelligence, and determination. Chuck Close begins all his paintings by taking a photograph of the subject, in this case a 2005 image made as a cover for New York Magazine. He then creates grids on both the canvas and the original image to replicate the information contained in the photograph with a series of abstract modules. The portrait is on loan to the National Portrait Gallery from Ian and Annette Cumming, and is now on view in the "America's Presidents" exhibition on the second floor. Recorded at NPG, June 24, 2010. Image: William Jefferson Clinton / Chuck Close / Oil on canvas, 2006 / Ian and Annette Cumming

David Hackett Fisher, cultural historian, spoke on Emmanuel Leutze's iconic painting, "Washington Crossing the Delaware." It was the third event of this year's American Pictures series at the Smithsonian. After the talk, Fischer signed copies of his book Washington's Crossing, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in History. Held in Washington, D.C., the series is cosponsored by Washington College, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the National Portrait Gallery. Recorded at NPG, May 1, 2010. Image: Washington Crossing the Delaware / Emmanuel Leutze, 1851 / The Metropolitan Museum of Art