Mr. TIME: Portraits by Boris Chaliapin

On view are 26 portraits by artist Boris Chaliapin, most of which appeared on Time magazine's cover during his 28-year career. Chaliapin was the portrait artist Time magazine’s editors turned to first when they needed a cover in a hurry. As Time’s most prolific artist, he created 413 covers for the publication. He could execute excellent likenesses in as little as 12 hours; record speed for the years between 1942 and 1970, when he was with the magazine. Week after week, millions of faithful readers recognized Chaliapin’s familiar signature on the cover, and his coworkers aptly nicknamed him “Mr. TIME.”

Related online exhibition: Cover Art: The TIME Collection at the National Portrait Gallery