As reported in Deadline, Oprah Winfrey’s portrait was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery. The media mogul made a comment in jest to about 100 guests regarding the color scheme of the painting. Oprah said “I chose the color purple not just because I knew the movie was coming out.”
The lovely work from artist Shawn Michael Warren, shows Winfrey in a flowing purple dress, adjacent to a tree at her famed Motencito estate. The portrait is striking and depicts the grandeur of Oprah Winfrey. Soon it will be on display at the National Portrait Gallery where you can find presidents, influential figures, civil rights activists and prominent entertainers’ portraits. The portrait will soon go on display at the gallery, joining those of presidents, civil rights figures and entertainers.
Winfrey said that the color choice – purple – had a special meaning in her life. Rightfully so and the musical version of the iconic film The Color Purple, also premiered this month.
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Winfrey was visibly fighting her emotions. She was in awe of being in the same gallery as other worldly figures to the likes of Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Lena Horne and Barack and Michelle Obama.
The ceremony that honored Winfrey’s portrait was in the main atrium. It compared in size to the Obamas. Their portraits are considered main attractions at the gallery.
Artist, Warren said that Winfrey “one of the most influential and polarizing figures of our time, a pioneer in the arts, entertainment, a generous giver and a woman who has been in our homes and lives for years and can relate to many of us when it comes to everyday challenges of life.”
