Kim Novak

Object Details

Artist

Robert Vickrey, 26 Aug 1926 - 17 Apr 2011

Sitter

Kim Novak, born 1933

Exhibition Label

In June 1957, when artist Robert Vickrey arrived on the West Coast to paint a portrait of Kim Novak for Time’s cover, careful studio grooming and the blond actress’s own magnetic mixture of beauty, innocence, and sex appeal had transformed her into Hollywood’s top box-office draw. Her portrait sittings with Vickrey, however, were not without issues. At one point, realizing that the artist was painting her from an angle that threatened to reveal a small bump on her nose, Novak angrily called her studio to complain about it. Vickrey, however, never noticed the flaw, and his picture—showing Novak posed against a poster of her in her new film, Jeanne Eagels (1957)—did not call attention to it.

En junio de 1957, cuando el artista Robert Vickrey arribó a la costa oeste del país para pintar un retrato de Kim Novak para la portada de Time, la joven era ya la actriz más taquillera de Hollywood, esto no solo gracias a los cuidados del estudio, sino a su magnética mezcla de rubia belleza, inocencia y sensualidad. Sin embargo, las sesiones en que posó para Vickrey no carecieron de problemas. En un momento dado, al advertir que el artista estaba pintándola desde un ángulo que podía revelar un pequeño bulto en su nariz, Novak se enfureció y llamó al estudio para quejarse. Pero en realidad Vickrey ni lo había notado, y su retrato de Novak —posando frente a un cartel de su nueva película Jeanne Eagels (1957)— no resaltó la imperfección.

Collection Description

In 1978, Time magazine donated approximately eight hundred works of original cover art to the National Portrait Gallery. The museum is dedicated to telling the stories of individuals who have shaped the United States, and the Time Collection—featuring prominent international figures and events—enriches our understanding of the United States in a global context.

En 1978, la revista Time donó a la National Portrait Gallery cerca de 800 obras de arte originales creadas para sus portadas. Nuestro museo se dedica a narrar la historia de figuras que han contribuido a forjar el desarrollo de Estados Unidos, y es así que la Colección Time, que incluye retratos de importantes personalidades internacionales, nos ayuda a comprender mejor a nuestra nación en un contexto global.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine

1957

Object number

NPG.78.TC649

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

© Robert Vickrey / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Type

Painting

Medium

Tempera, pencil and ink on Masonite

Dimensions

Board (Verified): 59.1 x 43.2 x 0.3cm (23 1/4 x 17 x 1/8")

Frame: 74 × 58.7 × 3.5cm (29 1/8 × 23 1/8 × 1 3/8")

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Kim Novak: Female

Kim Novak: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.78.TC649

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm424a3d3ff-8923-4c18-8eba-fe619d691006