The educational interview series Living Self-Portraits was created in the late 1970s by the National Portrait Gallery as a way to collect “portraits” of distinguished living Americans. The Portrait Gallery tells the story of America through the use of history and art, focusing on the individuals who shape the nation. In aid of this mission, the Portrait Gallery decided that a visual biography would be a natural development in portraiture. The series began as a lecture series and developed into a conversation with the Portrait Gallery’s chief historian Marc Pachter in order to delve deeper into the experiences of these individuals. The interviews engaged extraordinary people who contributed to American history and culture in energetic, emotional, and intimate recountings of their incredible lives. The criteria set forth by Pachter on the onset was that the subjects of each conversation were Americans at the end of their careers, when they were able to look back and impart wisdoms learnt through long, productive careers. Creating a program centered on individuals at the later portion of their lives was meant to inspire younger generations to pursue their own greatness. The Living Self-Portrait series captures the personality and essence of each sitter, uncovering aspects of their lives that had never been openly discussed and immortalizing a living portrait, giving each life a place in history.
Recorded at the National Portrait Gallery on January 13, 1995
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Exhibition Label
Video which explains the National Portrait Gallery's education program, Living Self-Portraits. The National Portrait Gallery's (former) director Alan Fern and Historian Marc Pachter explain the series. Clips from five Living Self-Portrait interviews follow explanation (Agnes de Mille, Gordon Parks, Katharine Graham, J. William Fulbright, and Clare Boothe Luce). Interviews with Pachter and Fern filmed at the National Portrait Gallery on January 13, 1995.
