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Betty Friedan

Betty Friedan
Usage Conditions Apply
Artist
Alice Matzkin, born 1939
Sitter
Betty Friedan, 4 Feb 1921 - 4 Feb 2006
Date
1995
Type
Painting
Medium
Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 101.6 x 91.4 x 2.5cm (40 x 36 x 1")
Frame: 104.1 x 94 x 4.4cm (41 x 37 x 1 3/4")
Topic
Betty Friedan: Female
Betty Friedan: Literature\Writer
Betty Friedan: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Social reformer
Betty Friedan: Journalism and Media\Editor
Betty Friedan: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Feminist
Portrait
Place
United States\California\Ventura\Ojai
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© 1995 Alice Matzkin
Object number
NPG.96.45
Exhibition Label
Born Peoria, Illinois
Betty Friedan’s analysis of women’s limited roles in American society, entitled The Feminine Mystique, was published in 1963. This controversial book galvanized the modern-day feminist movement and led to Friedan’s co-founding the National Organization for Women. Her focus on family values and the role of partnership in marriage continued into the late 1990s as she encouraged the creation of a “new paradigm . . . one based on today’s economic and demographic realities.” Artist Alice Matzkin arrived at Friedan’s home in Washington, D.C., hoping to have one question answered: “What makes life worthwhile?” Seventy-two photographs and fifteen minutes later, Friedan had entered a reflective state that inspired Matzkin’s depiction of the feminist matriarch.
Nacida en Peoria, Illinois
Betty Friedan publicó en 1963 un análisis sobre el limitado papel que tenían las mujeres en la sociedad estadounidense y lo tituló La mística de la feminidad. Este libro controversial dio vida al movimiento feminista contemporáneo y Friedan pasaría luego a cofundar la Organización Nacional de la Mujer. Friedan promovió los valores de la familia y la importancia de la colaboración en el matrimonio hasta fines de la década de 1990, abogando por la creación de “un nuevo paradigma . . . basado en las realidades económicas y demográficas de hoy”. La artista Alice Matzkin llegó a la casa de Friedan en Washington, D.C., esperando que le contestara una pregunta: ¿Qué hace que la vida merezca la pena? Quince minutos y setenta y dos fotografías más tarde, Friedan asumió un aire reflexivo que inspiró a Matzkin este retrato de la matriarca feminista.
Provenance
The artist; purchase 1996 NPG
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view