George Washington

1975

Alex Katz

Associated Names
Alex Katz

Artist, American, born 1927

Styria Studio

Printer

Lorillard, A Division of Loews Theatres, Inc.

Publisher

The image depicts a side profile of a person's head and shoulders facing right. The individual has facial features including a nose, eyebrows, and lips. The person has white hair, is wearing a dark hat with red trim, and a dark coat covering the neck and shoulders. The background is plain brown.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    color lithograph on Arches Cover wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Corcoran Collection (Gift of Lorillard Tobacco Company, 1975)

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 50.48 × 101.28 cm (19 7/8 × 39 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2015.19.2590

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schröder 2011, no. 82

  • Portfolio Title

    Kent Bicentennial Portfolio: Spirit of Independence

More About this Artwork

Shown from the chest up, an older man with pale, peachy skin, wearing a high-collared black coat and a cream-white, ruffled collar, is shown against a deep wine-red background in this vertical portrait painting. His body is angled to our right and he turns his face to look at us with gray eyes under pale gray eyebrows. He has a hooked nose and jowls along his chin line. His cheeks are flushed and his lips are set in a line. His white hair flares out along the sides of his head and is tied at the nape of his neck with a ribbon loosely painted and outlined with black. His ink-black coat has silvery gray highlights along the high collar and his right shoulder, to our left. The background is painted with light brushstrokes, deepening from scarlet red around his face to black at the upper corners.

Article:  George Washington, Pictured

For centuries, artists have depicted the military general—in paint, in print, and in plaster. These portraits continue to give us insight into Washington’s emotional life, military presence, and cultural footprint.

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Lorillard Company, New York; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1975; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1976

  • Artists Celebrate the Bicentennial, United States Information Agency (Tour of Europe), 1976-1977

2008

  • The American Evolution: A History through Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2008

Bibliography

1975

  • Kent Bicentennial Portfolio: Spirit of Independence. New York: Lorillard Company, 1975, pp. 18-19.

1983

  • Maravell, Nicholas P. Alex Katz: The Complete Prints. New York and London: Alpine Fine Arts Collection, 1983, no. 85.

2011

  • Schröder, Klaus Albrecht, ed. Alex Katz, Prints: Catalogue Raisonné, 1947-2011. Ostfilden, Germany: Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2011, p. 126, no. 82.

Inscriptions

lower left in graphite: Alex Katz 20/125

Watermarks

Arches 100% Rag

Wikidata ID

Q77013060

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