Selena

Object Details

Artist

Al Rendon, born 1957

Sitter

Selena, 16 Apr 1971 - 31 Mar 1995

Exhibition Label

Known as the "queen of Tejano music," Selena Quintanilla-Pérez brought wide recognition to this South Texas blend of Mexican and American musical styles. Her powerful voice made her the idol of fans on both sides of the border. Wearing a bustier, tight pants, and a pouting smile, Selena set a new standard for Latin beauty, and her self-confidence on stage brought comparisons with Madonna. In 1990 she released Ven Conmigo, the first Tejano album by a female artist to go gold, and soon she had her own clothing line and national product endorsements. She won a Grammy Award in 1994, but her life ended tragically the following year, when a former president of her fan club shot and killed her. Selena’s death at age twenty-three caused a huge outpouring of grief, and her legend then converged with the rising stardom of fellow Latina singer Jennifer Lopez, who gave a strong performance in her first leading role in Selena (1997).

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Alfred and Elizabeth Rendon

1993

Object number

NPG.2007.193

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

©1993 Al Rendon

Type

Photograph

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions

Image: 33.2 x 25.9 cm (13 1/16 x 10 3/16")

Sheet: 33.9 x 26.6 cm (13 3/8 x 10 1/2")

Mat: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16")

Place

United States\Texas\Nueces\Corpus Christi

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Costume\Jewelry

Selena: Female

Selena: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer

Selena: Performing Arts\Performer

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.2007.193

Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4d04364c9-1972-4d53-a2f9-f8240f30800b