Exhibitions

Capital Portraits: Treasures from Washington Private Collections, 1730-2010

April 8, 2011 – September 5, 2011

Catharine Peabody Gardner 1808–1883, Rembrandt Peale (1778–1860), Private collection

National Portrait Gallery
8th and G Streets, NW
Washington, DC

2nd Floor, West

See on Map Floor Plan

This exhibition presents 60 portraits that reside in private Washington, D.C., collections. Many of the works have never been on public display before and the exhibition reveals a remarkable range of styles, images, and most importantly, stories. Subjects range from famous individuals to family members, including the Marquis de Lafayette, artist John James Audubon, and model Kate Moss. Artists represented include John Singleton Copley, Gilbert Stuart, Charles Willson Peale, Mary Cassatt, William Merrit Chase, Andy Warhol, Chuck Close, and Kehinde Wiley. Featuring aesthetically superior images from the mid-18th century to 2008, this exhibition demonstrates how portraiture is ingrained in the private sphere of people's lives and provides a window into the life of the sitter, the career of the artist, and the era in which they lived.

Related catalogue: Capital Portraits: Treasures from Washington Private Collections