 |
| Jeff at the JFK portrait |
ABOUT THE JFK PORTRAIT - Artist Elaine de Kooning, known for her contemporary, gestural portraits, was chosen in 1962 to create a portrait of President Kennedy for the Truman Library because she worked quickly. She had seven informal sessions in Palm Beach, Florida, with Kennedy at the end of December 1962 and early January 1963. De Kooning was so moved by Kennedy that over the next ten months she created hundreds of drawings and twenty-three paintings of him. This full-length image captures Kennedy’s restless energy, and its colors evoke a coolness and detachment not always obvious to his admirers. After Kennedy’s assassination on November 22, 1963,
 |
| John Adams, 2nd President |
JOHN ADAMS PORTRAIT MYSTERY SOLVED - It seems this portrait of the 2nd U.S. President was mistakenly attributed to artist Gilbert Stuart. It was later discovered that the painting was the work of John Turnbull (See the museum website)
- Exhibition Label
- Second president, 1797–1801
Of all the
Founding Fathers, John Adams was perhaps the most intellectual and
accomplished. He helped craft the argument supporting the independence
of the Continental Congress and later served on the diplomatic mission
that ended the Revolutionary War. When George Washington chose him as
his vice president, Adams complained that his lack of official duties
meant that he occupied “the most insignificant office that ever the
invention of man contrived.” Nevertheless, he used the position as his
ticket to the presidency and was elected in 1796 after a bitter campaign
against Thomas Jefferson. During Adams’s single term as president,
political posturing and bickering inhibited him at home, and France’s
interference with American commerce created a challenge for him abroad.
Adams managed to keep the nation at peace, but he left the White House
largely discredited on all sides.- When Adams was vice president, he had portraits done by the artist John Trumbull, who based this painting on one of those original portraits. Trumbull incorporated the likeness into his depiction of the signing of the Declaration of Independence that is on display in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
