IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
Artist
John Foote, active c. 1971
Sitter
Marilyn Horne, born 16 Jan 1934
Date
1971
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 130.2 x 89.5cm (51 1/4 x 35 1/4")
Frame: 142.7 x 102.2 x 5.7cm (56 3/16 x 40 1/4 x 2 1/4")
Topic
Marilyn Horne: Female
Marilyn Horne: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Opera singer
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Marilyn Horne
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Object number
NPG.2009.76
Exhibition Label
Born Bradford, Pennsylvania
Mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne is celebrated as one of the most remarkable voices of the twentieth century. A brilliant interpreter, she is a master of Bellini and Rossini as well as Handel and Bach. She launched her show-business career at age four by singing at a rally for Franklin Roosevelt, but her professional start came in 1954 when she dubbed the singing voice of Dorothy Dandridge in the film Carmen Jones. Horne’s 1970 debut at the Metropolitan Opera was as Adalgisa in Bellini’s Norma (depicted here). With soprano Joan Sutherland, she ushered in a new golden age of bel canto opera, notably in Norma, Semiramide, and Anna Bolena. Revered also for her concert and recital singing, she founded the Marilyn Horne Foundation in 1994 to train rising young stars in the vocal art tradition.
