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James Watt

James Watt
Usage Conditions Apply
Artist
Mark Hess, born 1954
Sitter
James Gaius Watt, 31 Jan 1938 - 27 May 2023
Date
1982
Type
Painting
Medium
Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions
51cm x 35.2cm (20 1/16" x 13 7/8"), Accurate
Topic
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Necktie
James Gaius Watt: Male
James Gaius Watt: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of Interior
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Mark Hess
Object number
NPG.84.TC159
Exhibition Label
A deeply polarizing member of the early Reagan administration, James Watt declared his intention to “undo fifty years of bad government” when he became secretary of the interior (1981–83). Vilified by environmentalists and celebrated by developers and leaders of the fossil fuel industry, Watt sought to reverse decades of conservationist policies within the 350 million acres of federal land under his jurisdiction. He opened public lands to resource development, vastly expanded the number of coal-mining leases, and halted national park expansions. This portrait appeared on a 1982 Time magazine cover, accompanying an article about Watt’s scheme to sell public lands to private parties, a plan environmentalists opposed.
Previously a bipartisan issue, environmentalism became increasingly politicized early in Reagan’s presidency (1981–89). In reaction to the policies of Watt and other officials, national environmental organizations banded together, grew their member ships and revenues, and increased their political and legal activism.
James Watt, figura sumamente polarizante a prin cipios de la administración de Reagan, declaró su intención de “deshacer 50 años de mal gobierno” como secretario del interior (1981–83). Denigrado por los ambientalistas y celebrado por los desarro lladores y la industria de combustibles fósiles, Watt se propuso revertir décadas de políticas ecologistas dentro de los 350 millones de acres federales bajo su jurisdicción. Abrió las tierras públicas a la explotación de los recursos naturales, multiplicó los arrenda mientos para minería de carbón y detuvo la expan sión de los parques nacionales. Este retrato apareció en la revista Time en 1982 junto a un artículo sobre el plan de Watt de vender tierras públicas a entes privados, a lo cual se opusieron los ambientalistas.
A inicios de la presidencia de Reagan (1981–89), el ambientalismo, antes un tema bipartidista, empezó a politizarse. Ante las disposiciones de Watt y otros funcionarios, las organizaciones ambientalistas nacionales se aliaron, aumentaron sus matrículas e ingresos, e intensificaron su activismo político y legal.
Collection Description
In 1978, Time magazine donated approximately eight hundred works of original cover art to the National Portrait Gallery. The museum is dedicated to telling the stories of individuals who have shaped the United States, and the Time Collection—featuring prominent international figures and events—enriches our understanding of the United States in a global context.
En 1978, la revista Time donó a la National Portrait Gallery cerca de 800 obras de arte originales creadas para sus portadas. Nuestro museo se dedica a narrar la historia de figuras que han contribuido a forjar el desarrollo de Estados Unidos, y es así que la Colección Time, que incluye retratos de importantes personalidades internacionales, nos ayuda a comprender mejor a nuestra nación en un contexto global.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Exhibition
Forces of Nature: Voices that Shaped Environmentalism
On View
NPG, North Gallery 220