Name: Portrait of President John F. Kennedy
Brand: Elaine de Kooning
Rating: 4.8 (9 reviews)

Portrait of President John F. Kennedy

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About the Item

Signed lower right: E de K Inscribed on verso: JFK #1 In the 1950s and early 1960s, Elaine de Kooning achieved widespread recognition for her gestural, bold portraiture. In contrast to many of her contemporaries who focused on painting female subjects, de Kooning was particularly known for her portraits of men. She often painted friends and family members, many of whom were well-known poets and artists, including Frank O’Hara, Allen Ginsberg, Fairfield Porter, and her husband Willem de Kooning. In 1962, de Kooning was commissioned to create a portrait of President Kennedy for the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri. Between December 1962 and January 1963, de Kooning had seven informal sittings with the President in Palm Beach, Florida. When she first met President Kennedy, the artist recalled, "[He] was not the grey sculptural newspaper image. He was incandescent, golden. And bigger than life … [with] large violet irises half veiled by the jutting bone beneath the eyebrows." Several of the portrait sessions took place outdoors on the President’s patio, “where he was enveloped by the green of the leaves and the golden light of the sun.” De Kooning made many quick sketches of Kennedy from life, which she later used in her studio to paint larger-scale portraits, some of them in full-length. Over the next ten months, De Kooning immersed herself into the project, completing hundreds of sketches and 23 paintings of the President. De Kooning was still working on the commission when President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. Stricken by the tragedy, de Kooning stopped painting for an entire year. De Kooning’s paintings of President Kennedy endure today as a fascinating and treasured body of work. Several of the portraits are now in public institutions, including the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC; the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston; and the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri. Our painting, which measures 31 x 22 inches, is an accomplished work in the series. In addition to capturing the vitality and charisma of the young President, his vibrant eyes, the lush green surroundings and the golden sunlight of Florida that the artist so vividly recalled are fully manifest in this work. Our painting is distinguished by two additional factors. While several of the 23 paintings de Kooning created are quick, unfinished sketches (some of them rendered only in black and white), our version is a highly developed composition which closely relates to a larger-scale portrait in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Our painting also has a notable provenance and was originally in the collection of the artist’s brother, Peter Fried.

Creator:
Elaine de Kooning (1918 - 1989, American)
Creation Year:
1963
Dimensions:
Height: 31.13 in (79.08 cm)Width: 22 in (55.88 cm)
Medium:
Canvas,Oil
Movement & Style:
American Modern
Period:
1960-1969
Condition:
Gallery Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU73632213293

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