Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Object Details
- Artist
- Boris Chaliapin, 22 Sep 1904 - 18 May 1979
- Copy after
- Walter Bennett, born 1921
- Sitter
- Martin Luther King, Jr., 15 Jan 1929 - 4 Apr 1968
- Exhibition Label
- Time magazine portrait of Martin Luther King Jr.
- The success of the Montgomery bus boycott catapulted King into the national spotlight. In February 1957, Time featured his portrait on its cover and published an in-depth profile describing the twenty-eight-year-old pastor as "one of the nation’s remarkable leaders." The article declared that "King reached beyond lawbooks and writs, beyond violence and threats, to win his people—and challenge all people––with a spiritual force that aspired even to ending prejudice in man’s mind." When asked about the inspiration for his actions, King replied, "The spirit of passive resistance came to me from the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. The techniques of execution came from Gandhi." Just a month before the Time article appeared, sixty black ministers from across the South had gathered at King’s invitation in Atlanta to cofound what became known as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)—an organization dedicated to utilizing nonviolent direct action to challenge and defeat racism.
- Boris Chaliapin (1904–1979)
- Watercolor and pencil on board, 1957, after photograph by Walter Bennett
- Time magazine, February 18, 1957
- 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.TC516
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Chris Murphy
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Watercolor and pencil on board
- Dimensions
- Sight: 42.2 x 31.1cm (16 5/8 x 12 1/4")
- Mat: 71.1 x 55.9cm (28 x 22")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache
- Costume\Dress Accessory\Tie\Necktie
- Costume\Robe
- Martin Luther King, Jr.: Male
- Martin Luther King, Jr.: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist\Civil rights leader
- Martin Luther King, Jr.: Religion and Spirituality\Clergy\Minister
- Martin Luther King, Jr.: Nobel Prize
- Martin Luther King, Jr.: Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Martin Luther King, Jr.: Congressional Gold Medal
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.78.TC516
- Metadata Usage (text)
- Usage conditions apply
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4027f4ccf-1deb-4251-a3ae-866594ed31cc
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