Martin Luther King, Jr.

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