Eye to I: Self-Portraits from the National Portrait Gallery

At a time when countless “selfies” are being posted on social media channels, and identity is proving to be more and more fluid, the exhibition presented a sampling of how artists have approached the exploration of representation and self-depiction through portraiture. With each self-portrait, artists either reaffirm or rebel against a sense of identity that links the eye to “I.” Drawing from the National Portrait Gallery’s vast collection, Eye to I examined how artists in the United States have chosen to portray themselves since the beginning of the last century.

Eye to I featured more than 50 works in a variety of styles and media ranging from caricatures to photographs, from colorful watercolors to dramatic paintings and time-based media. The exhibition traced the process through which select artistic practices have transitioned from gazing into the mirror to looking into the camera; from painted and drawn surfaces to mechanical reproductions such as prints and photographs; from static forms to video. Artworks included in the exhibition span the art historical timeline from 1901 to today. Early works included self-portraits of Edward Steichen, Alexander Calder, and composer George Gershwin, who was also a painter. More recent self-portraits included a video work by Ana Mendieta, and work in a variety of media by Chuck Close, Lois Dodd, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons and Alison Saar, as well as a large-scale painting by Roger Shimomura, Shimomura Crossing the Delaware. 

“Individuals featured in Eye to I have approached self-portraiture at various points in history, under unique circumstances, and using different tools, but their representations—especially when seen together—all raise important questions about self-perception and self-reflection,” said Brandon Brame Fortune, chief curator, Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. “Some artists reveal intimate details of their inner lives through self-portraiture, while others use the genre to obfuscate their private selves or invent alter egos.”

Featured in Eye to I were self-portraits by prominent figures in the history of portraiture, including Robert Arneson, Alexander Calder, Jasper Johns, Allan Kaprow, Deborah Kass, Elaine de Kooning, Jacob Lawrence, Louise Nevelson, Irving Penn, Robert Rauschenberg, Fritz Scholder, Roger Shimomura, Edward Steichen, and many more.

PUBLICATION

Eye to I: Self-Portraits from the National Portrait Gallery has a richly illustrated companion volume that features an introduction by Brandon Brame Fortune and nearly 150 insightful entries on key self-portraits in the museum's collection. The book was published by the National Portrait Gallery, in association with Hirmer Publishers (2019). 336 pages. 175 color plates. 7 x 9 in. Hardcover. $45.00. Distributed by the University of Chicago Press.

Public Image/Private Self: Exploring Identity through Self-Portraiture

Long before the social media selfie, artists created self-portraits that converted the inner, private self into an outer, public persona. Robyn Asleson, Curator of Prints and Drawings at the National Portrait Gallery, highlights some of the ways in which artists have used self-portraits to construct versions of themselves that foreground particular aspects of identity, including life experience, artistic affiliation, nationality, and gender.

This program premiered on Sunday, June 13, 2021 via Zoom.