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Oprah Winfrey (painting)

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Oprah Winfrey
Portrait of Oprah Winfrey wearing a purple dress
Oprah Winfrey in 2023
ArtistShawn Michael Warren
Year2023 (2023)
Mediumoil on linen
SubjectOprah Winfrey
Dimensions180 cm × 140 cm (70 in × 56 in)
LocationNational Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.

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

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  1. ^ a b c "What the purple dress in Oprah Winfrey's new portrait really means". www.bbc.com. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Commissioned Portrait of Oprah Winfrey Archived December 15, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian