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Portrait of Beth Levine (Lady with Red Bow)

Portrait of Beth Levine (Lady with Red Bow)
Usage Conditions Apply
Artist
Philip Pearlstein, 24 May 1924 - 17 Dec 2022
Sitter
Beth Levine, 1914 - 2006
Date
1985
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 76.2 × 62.9cm (30 × 24 3/4")
Frame: 79.4 × 66.7 × 4.1cm (31 1/4 × 26 1/4 × 1 5/8")
Topic
Costume\Jewelry\Earring
Costume\Dress Accessory\Bow
Beth Levine: Female
Beth Levine: Visual Arts\Designer\Fashion designer
Beth Levine: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Merchant\Shoe merchant
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Ellen Pearlstein
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© 1985, Phillip Pearlstein
Object number
NPG.2014.99
Exhibition Label
Beth Katz Levine (1914–2006) was one of the most influential and dynamic fashion designers of the twentieth century. Beginning as a shoe model, she later created her own designs for Herbert Levine, who worked for shoe manufacturer Andrew Geller. After marrying in 1946, the Levines made shoes under the Herbert Levine label. Beth Levine was also famous for her custom shoes, such as the stiletto boots Nancy Sinatra wore during performances of her 1966 hit, “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.” Levine also created one-off whimsical shoes that were impractical to market but attracted the attention of consumers and the industry. She received a Coty Award in 1967 for design innovation and is recognized by the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute for her contribution to the creation of a postwar American style of women’s fashion. Artist Philip Pearlstein, whose wife, Dorothy, was Levine’s first cousin, has captured the designer in the midst of assessing him—and us—with one eyebrow raised.
Beth Katz Levine (1914–2006) fue una de las diseñadoras de modas más influyentes y dinámicas del siglo XX. Comenzó su carrera como modelo de calzado y luego pasó a crear sus propios modelos para Herbert Levine, quien trabajaba con el fabricante de calzado Andrew Geller. Luego de contraer matrimonio en 1946, los Levine produjeron calzado bajo la marca “Herbert Levine”. Beth Levine también tuvo fama por sus zapatos hechos a medida, como las botas con tacón de aguja que usó Nancy Sinatra para interpretar su éxito de 1966, “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’”. Asimismo, Levine creaba zapatos de fantasía únicos, que aunque no eran prácticos para vender, captaban la atención de los consumidores y la industria. Recibió un Premio Coty en 1967 por innovación en diseño y el Costume Institute del Metropolitan Museum ha reconocido sus aportaciones a la creación de una moda femenina de sello estadounidense en la época de posguerra.
El artista Philip Pearlstein, cuya esposa Dorothy era prima de Levine, captó a la diseñadora con una ceja levantada, como si estuviera evaluándolo a él, y a nosotros también.
Provenance
The artist; his daughter
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view