August 16, 2018

In 2018, the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1968. The National Portrait Gallery exhibits likenesses of people who have contributed significantly to the history, development, and culture of the United States. As part of its 50th anniversary program, the museum updated and relaunched its celebrated collection of presidential portraits in late 2017. The collection kicked off 2018 with the February unveiling of its two newest works: portraits of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

The National Portrait Gallery unveiled its new painting of President Barack Obama on Feb. 12, 2018. Credit: Barack Obama (2018), oil on canvas by Kehinde Wiley; Smithsonian Institution

The National Portrait Gallery has the only complete collection of U.S. presidential portraits outside the White House. The gallery’s revamped collection, called “America’s Presidents,” differs from the White House’s, offering alternate versions of portraits and presenting them in a much grander style. It is not all just paintings, either. Bas-reliefs, busts, coins, death masks, hand casts, photographs, sketches, videos, and newspaper articles accompany the portraits, offering multiple and sometimes tactile bridges between art, history, and reality. The presidential exhibition’s thorough modernization includes improved lighting, new labels and wall texts, and the addition of interactive touch screens allowing visitors to explore the context of each president’s time in office.

Gilbert Stuart’s full-length portrait of George Washington welcomes visitors to the America’s Presidents exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Credit: George Washington (Lansdowne portrait) (1796), oil on canvas by Gilbert Stuart; Smithsonian Institution

America’s Presidents showcases the first 44 presidents, starting with Gilbert Stuart’s full-length “Lansdowne” portrait of George Washington. Recently restored for the exhibition’s relaunch, Washington’s portrait stands tall at the entrance, beckoning people within. Stuart’s famous unfinished “Atheneum” portraits of Washington and his wife, the first First Lady Martha Custis Washington, flank the Lansdowne painting to each side. 

This portrait of Abraham Lincoln shows him as he looked in 1860. Credit: Abraham Lincoln (1887), oil on canvas by George Peter Alexander Healy; Smithsonian Institution

Inside, visitors experience a walking timeline of U.S. history, passing from president to president as if they were there to shake your hand and personally tell you the glories and trials of their administrations. The exhibition is divided into chronological sections: 1789-1827: Building the Presidency; 1828-1860: Democracy and Expansion; 1861-1900: The Crisis of the Union; 1901-1932: Social Reform; 1933-1989: Negotiating World Peace; and 1990-2017: Contemporary Presidency.

This unique portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt is part of the “1933-1989: Negotiating World Peace” section of the America’s Presidents exhibition. Credit: Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1945), oil on canvas by Douglas Chandor; Smithsonian Institution

Not every president gets equal time, however. Six presidents are given extra attention because of their significant impact on the office: George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan.

This portrait is one of three of President Ronald Reagan included in America’s Presidents. Credit: Ronald Reagan (1991), oil on canvas by Everett Raymond Kinstler; Smithsonian Institution