When: closing August 18, 2019
This survey of self-portraits from 1900 to the present is drawn largely from the Gallery's own collection, which totals over 500 works of art. So if you think memorializing oneself is narcissistic, it's been a problem long before the advent of the smartphone.
The earlier works in the Gallery's collection are traditional representations; it's only in the 20th century that people start taking liberties with the idea of portraits. Much of the show is composed of paintings or drawings or photographs, but there are also collages, textiles, sculpture and video works.
I was filled with a sense of self-satisfaction when I noticed a colossal head photograph from across the room and identified it correctly as Chuck Close. As I walked over to take a closer look, I thought to myself, "Wasn't he accused of sexual harassment?" Sure enough, he was, and the museum made mention of that in the wall note accompanying the piece.
The note went on to say, "The museum recognizes the positive and negative impacts that individuals represented in our collections have had on history." I think the Portrait Gallery has an issue that other museums don't, in that, if a person's picture is included, there is some sort of implicit approval of that person given by the display. Of course, not all famous or important people are worthy of approval, and that's where things get tricky. Over the course of our nation's history, some of our Presidents have done things that do not bear close examination. Yet all of them are in the Presidential portrait display.
I'm not a curator or museum director, but I think the Gallery has chosen the right course - include people who have played an important part in our history, but use the wall notes to explain them more fully. I'd also like to give the Gallery credit for highlighting the works and contributions of all Americans. The early years are largely male and white, but galleries covering more recent years are much less monochromatic.
Verdict: There's some interesting stuff here that's worth a look.
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