Summary: 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
