National Portrait Gallery Will Install the Portrait of President-elect Donald J. Trump Before Inauguration

December 9, 2016
News Release
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Cropped portrait of Donald Trump

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A photo portrait of President-elect Donald J. Trump will go on display at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery Jan. 13, 2017, and remain on view throughout the inauguration festivities. The photograph, taken in 1989 by photographer Michael O’Brien, shows Trump tossing an apple with his right hand. It was added to the collection in 2011.

Because of Trump’s prominence in New York real estate, the museum has four works in the collection representing the president-elect.

Throughout his career, O’Brien has worked for Esquire, Life, the New York Times Sunday Magazine and National Geographic, among other publications. Well known for his portraiture and documentary photography, he has photographed presidents and personalities from different fields. His work is in the permanent collections of several museums around the country.

The image is available for press at newsdesk.si.edu; it can also be photographed or filmed in the museum after Jan. 13. For access, contact Marielba Alvarez at alvarezma@si.edu.  

In January 2009, the Portrait Gallery displayed a portrait of President Barack Obama—the original artwork for Obama’s “Hope” poster, designed by Shepard Fairey. In 2013, the museum showcased a jacquard tapestry portrait of Obama by Chuck Close. 

National Portrait Gallery

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery tells the multifaceted story of America through the individuals who have shaped its culture. Through the visual arts, performing arts and new media, the Portrait Gallery portrays poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists whose lives tell the American story.

The National Portrait Gallery is part of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture at Eighth and F streets N.W., Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Information: (202) 633-1000. Website: npg.si.edu. Connect with the museum at Facebook; Instagram; blog; Twitter and YouTube.

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SI-622-2016