Portrait of Duke Ellington

1960

Gordon Parks

Associated Names
Gordon Parks

Artist, American, 1912 - 2006

The image shows a close-up of a man's face, his hand partially covering his mouth and chin, while the rest of his body, mostly his upper torso, is visible. He is seated and turned slightly towards the camera. The man has a prominent brow, and his eyes are cast downward with a contemplative gaze. His hair is short and neatly styled. He is wearing a patterned jacket with intricate designs. In the background are two other individuals, slightly out of focus, who appear to be standing and looking in the direction of the man in the foreground. The setting appears to be indoors with a softly blurred backdrop.
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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Gordon Parks, New York; gift to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1999; acquired by NGA, 2015.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

on verso, by unknown hand, top left center in graphite: 400 / 2C-3-27; top right center cursive script initials in graphite: [?]; top right in orange pencil: B; by unknown hand, center left perpendicular circled in graphite: 73; center right perpendicular in pencil and blue pen: Billy Strayhorn, Paul Gonsalves / + / Duke; by LIFE MAGAZINE, bottom center inverted stamp in purple ink: LIFE PHOTO BY / GORDON PARKS ... / DATE / 7/15/60 / SET NO. / 60400 [?]

Wikidata ID

Q64154596

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