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John F. Kennedy

Artist
Elaine de Kooning, 12 Mar 1918 - 1 Feb 1989
Sitter
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 29 May 1917 - 22 Nov 1963
Date
1963
Type
Painting
Medium
Watercolor on paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 45.7 × 37.8cm (18 × 14 7/8")
Mat: 50.8 × 40.6cm (20 × 16")
Frame: 51.4 × 41.3cm (20 1/4 × 16 1/4")
Topic
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair
Exterior
John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Male
John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Literature\Writer
John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Massachusetts
John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Military and Intelligence\Navy\Officer
John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Politics and Government\President of US
John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Politics and Government\US Senator\Massachusetts
John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Pulitzer Prize
John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Presidential Medal of Freedom
Portrait
Place
United States\Florida\Palm Beach
Credit Line
Owner: Amarillo Museum of Art

This record is part of the Catalog of American Portraits, a research archive of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Permission to reproduce images (if available) must be obtained from the portrait owner. Please note that if an owner is listed above, this information may not be current.

Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Elaine de Kooning Trust
Object number
AM 2001.06.05
Exhibition Label
Elaine recalled of Kennedy, "When I began the sketches, I found that he moved constantly—which drove me insane. It soon became clear (although he tried) that it was physically impossible for this man to sit still! He knew that the portrait (originally only one was planned) was commissioned for the Truman Library and, although it was intended that it reflect the freedom of the ‘New Frontier,’ it was supposed to be somewhat ‘official!’" Elaine captured the clarity of light, foliage, and the casualness of the first sitting in this watercolor, one of several she made at the time.
Elaine guardaba este recuerdo de Kennedy: “Cuando comencé los bocetos vi que se movía constantemente, lo cual me sacaba de mis casillas. Pronto entendí que (aunque trataba) a este hombre le era físicamente imposible estar quieto. Él sabía que el retrato (en un principio se planificó solo uno) era un encargo de la Biblioteca Truman y, aunque se supone que reflejara las libertades que él proclamaba con su idea de la “Nueva Frontera”, también debía tener un tono ‘oficial’”. Elaine capta la claridad de la luz, el follaje y la informalidad de la primera sesión en esta acuarela, una de varias que realizó en esos tiempos.
Data Source
Catalog of American Portraits