On December 13, media mogul Oprah Winfrey attended the big reveal of her official portrait at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C.
According to a press release announcing the unveiling of the portrait, Chicago artist Shawn Michael Warren was commissioned to create the over 6-foot tall painting, which depicts Winfrey with a radiant smile across her face as she poses outside her California home in a full-length purple dress.
According to gallery director Kim Sajet, “Oprah demonstrated an unparalleled ability to connect with people and inspire them…” through her rise to fame as host and producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her “vision and spirit deserve recognition…and we are delighted to celebrate her with this commissioned portrait,” she continued.
The portrait aimed to capture Winfrey’s “warmth and compassion.”
The talk show host is known to have impacted multiple industries. The Smithsonian
regarded Winfrey as a “…global media leader, philanthropist, producer, actor, author and entrepreneur” who “has made significant contributions to American popular culture, which earned her a place in the National Portrait Gallery.”People reported that the actress said she credits her iconic role as Sofia in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film The Color Purple, for helping her career blossom and serving as a “spiritual opening for [her] to see … life in a different way.”
As she promotes the new musical adaptation of The Color Purple as an executive producer, she told that outlet that, even nearing 70, uplifting others remains her purpose.
“I still continue to rise, and I’m in a space now where my offering is to help other people to rise,” she said. “The principle that is the underbelly, the cornerstone for how I operate in the world. … Life is better when you share it,” she said.
Mark your calendars! The new rendition of The Color Purple will be in theaters on Christmas.
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