Oprah Winfrey (painting)
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| Oprah Winfrey | |
|---|---|
 Oprah Winfrey in 2023 | |
| Artist | Shawn Michael Warren |
| Year | 2023 |
| Medium | oil on linen |
| Subject | Oprah Winfrey |
| Dimensions | 180 cm × 140 cm (70 in × 56 in) |
| Location | National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. |
An oil painting of Oprah Winfrey by Shawn Michael Warren was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. in 2023.[1][2][3]
The painting portrays Winfrey smiling and wearing a voluminous purple taffeta dress by Christian Siriano; the color references her first film role in Steven Spielberg's 1985 version of The Color Purple.[1] Winfrey is depicted walking across a grass lawn amid the oak trees of the verdant prayer garden at her estate in Montecito, California,[3] holding an olive branch in her left hand.[1]
The artist received the commission after painting a mural of Winfrey in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago in 2020, near where Winfrey's Harpo Studios had been located until 2015.[4] The full-length portrait measures approximately 70 in × 56 in (180 cm × 140 cm) and has been added to the permanent collection of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.[5]
The colours used in the painting were not accidental. The painting courtyard was awash in deep purple tablecloths, scarves, ties, coats and gowns. Purple is deeply personal for Oprah, a nod to The Color Purple, the film, that changed the trajectory of her life. It's a colour she's carried with her ever since, including her 2023 "Favourite Things" list.[1][3]
For the occasion, she wore a custom purple taffeta gown by Christian Siriano, which Oprah had said "That color has been seminal in my life". Her role as Sofia in the 1985 film was shot in just two weeks, but it opened doors and affirmed a voice that the world would come to know ultimately.[3]
