Oprah Winfrey (painting)

Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey in 2023
Artist	Shawn Michael Warren
Year	2023 (2023)
Medium	oil on linen
Subject	Oprah Winfrey
Dimensions	180 cm × 140 cm (70 in × 56 in)
Location	National 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

1. "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. "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