Bill and Melinda Gates

Object Details

Artist

Jon R. Friedman, born 1947

Sitter

William Henry Gates III, born 28 Oct 1955

Melinda Gates, born 1964

Exhibition Label

Bill Gates (born 1955) left Harvard University in 1975 to write software for the earliest personal computers. His company, Microsoft, developed a computer operating system for large-scale nontechnical use that prompted the personal computer revolution begun in the 1980s, eventually making Gates one of the world’s wealthiest individuals. Melinda French Gates (born 1964) has degrees in computer science, economics, and business, and worked at Microsoft before marrying Bill Gates in 1994.

The couple created the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, with the mission of helping all people live healthy, productive lives. In 2021, Bill and Melinda Gates announced that they were ending their marriage of twenty-seven years but would continue working together at the foundation.

This painting’s invented setting evokes the Gates family home on Lake Washington. The collaged screen on the left includes maps, charts, and images referencing the foundation’s work while the Cascade Mountains can be seen in the distance.

Bill Gates (n. 1955) abandonó la Universidad de Harvard en 1975 y se dedicó a crear software para las primeras computadoras personales. Su compañía, Microsoft, desarrolló un sistema operativo para uso general fuera del ámbito técnico que propulsó la revolución de las PC en la década de 1980, y ha hecho a Gates una de las personas más ricas del mundo. Melinda French Gates (n. 1964) tiene títulos en ciencias informáticas, economía y comercio, y trabajó en Microsoft antes de casarse con Bill Gates en 1994.

La pareja creó la Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation en el año 2000 para ayudar a las personas a llevar vidas más saludables y productivas. En 2021, Bill y Melinda Gates anunciaron que daban fin a su matrimonio de 27 años, pero que continuarán colaborando en la fundación.

La ambientación imaginaria de esta pintura evoca el hogar de la familia Gates en el lago Washington, con las montañas Cascade a lo lejos. La pantalla de la izquierda muestra un collage de mapas, gráficas e imágenes alusivas a la labor de la fundación.

Provenance

NPG commissioned from artist

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; supported by a grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and by the Marc Pachter Commissioning Fund

2010

Object number

NPG.2010.83

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Painting

Medium

Oil and collage on canvas attached to wood panel

Dimensions

Panel: 127.6 x 117.5cm (50 1/4 x 46 1/4")

Frame: 130.7 x 120.5 x 7cm (51 7/16 x 47 7/16 x 2 3/4")

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Interior\Interior with Exterior View

Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair\Armchair

Interior\Conference room

William Henry Gates III: Male

William Henry Gates III: Society and Social Change\Philanthropist

William Henry Gates III: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Humanitarian

William Henry Gates III: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Business executive\Computer technology

William Henry Gates III: Presidential Medal of Freedom

William Henry Gates III: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Entrepreneur\Technology

William Henry Gates III: Science and Technology\Software developer

William Henry Gates III: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Business magnate

Melinda Gates: Female

Melinda Gates: Society and Social Change\Philanthropist

Melinda Gates: Awards

Melinda Gates: Presidential Medal of Freedom

Melinda Gates: Science and Technology\Software developer

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.2010.83

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm43d5ef50c-6897-4e77-a1b5-525aa1489c40