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Billy Dee Williams Self-Portrait

National Portrait Gallery

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Object Details

Artist
Billy Dee Williams, born 6 Apr 1937
Sitter
Billy Dee Williams, born 6 Apr 1937
Exhibition Label
Billy Dee Williams (born 1937) has worked in film and television for nearly fifty years. He is best known for his role opposite Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues (1972), which focused on the life of Billie Holiday, and his work in two of the Star Wars movies, The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). Williams has also worked as an artist throughout his life, having studied at the High School of Music and Art in New York City and later at the National Academy of Art. He specializes in acrylic paintings combining traditional brushwork with an airbrushing technique. In 1993 he created Self-Portrait with Gardenia, which references a famous scene in Lady Sings the Blues when his character, Louis McKay, offers a gardenia to Billie Holiday.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Billy Dee Williams
1993
Object number
S/NPG.94.92
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© 1994, Billy Dee Williams
Type
Painting
Medium
Acrylic on canvas on Masonite
Dimensions
Stretcher (Verified): 62.2 x 52.4 cm (24 1/2 x 20 5/8")
Frame (Verified): 81.9 x 71.8 x 8.9 cm (32 1/4 x 28 1/4 x 3 1/2")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Nature & Environment\Plant\Flower\Gardenia
Self-portrait
Billy Dee Williams: Visual Arts\Artist
Billy Dee Williams: Male
Billy Dee Williams: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Theater
Billy Dee Williams: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie
Portrait
Record ID
npg_S_NPG.94.92
Metadata Usage (text)
Usage conditions apply
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm48f8c5713-8fa4-487d-8cfd-7bb2cff2b523

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