Object Details
- Artist
- Wilfrid Gabriel De Glehn, 1870 - 1951
- Sitter
- Lynn Fontanne, 6 Dec 1887 - 30 Jul 1983
- Exhibition Label
- Born Essex, England
- When the actor Lynn Fontanne posed for the artist Wilfred de Glehn in 1912, she was only beginning to embark on her career and sought to earn extra money as a model. A decade later, she married Alfred Lunt, with whom she formed a critically acclaimed theatrical partnership. The couple brought a naturalism to acting that transformed American theater. One critic wrote, “They play together . . . with a fluency that is matchless.”
- From 1928 until they retired in 1960, Fontanne and Lunt starred in twenty-seven productions, including Pygmalion, Design for Living, Taming of the Shrew, and The Guardsman. Fontanne received the American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal in 1935 and was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Kennedy Center in 1980.
- Nacida en Essex, Inglaterra
- Cuando la actriz Lynn Fontanne posó para el pintor Wilfred de Glehn en 1912, apenas comenzaba su carrera y deseaba ganar dinero extra como modelo. Una década después, se casó con Alfred Lunt y ambos iniciaron una colaboración teatral aclamada por los críticos. La pareja llevó a la actuación un estilo natural que transformó el teatro norteamericano. Un crítico escribió: “Actúan juntos [...] con una fluidez sin igual”.
- Desde 1928 hasta su retiro en 1960, Fontanne y Lunt protagonizaron 27 producciones, entre ellas Pigmalión, Diseño para mi vida, La fierecilla domada y El guardia. Fontanne recibió la Medalla de Oro de la Academia Estadounidense de las Artes y las Letras en 1935 y fue honrada por el Kennedy Center con un premio a su trayectoria en 1980.
- Provenance
- (David Messum Fine Art, Ltd., Buckinghamshire and London, 1997); purchased by a private collector; (David Messum); purchased 1999 NPG
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- 1912
- Object number
- NPG.2000.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Estate of Wilfrid de Glehn, courtesy of Messum's Fine Art London
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Stretcher: 76.2 x 64.8 x 3.8cm (30 x 25 1/2 x 1 1/2")
- Frame: 93.3 x 80 x 7.6cm (36 3/4 x 31 1/2 x 3")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Exhibition
- 20th Century Americans: 1900-1930 (re-installation 2012)
- On View
- NPG, South Gallery 322
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair
- Costume\Dress Accessory\Scarf
- Costume\Headgear\Hat\Plumed
- Lynn Fontanne: Female
- Lynn Fontanne: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Theater\Stage actor
- Lynn Fontanne: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Film\Movie actor
- Lynn Fontanne: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Television\Television actor
- Lynn Fontanne: Civilian awards\Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.2000.1
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm43c3a94af-eafe-4760-9a0a-ae90efe37017
