The White House has suggested that the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG) create a dedicated section to display multiple images of US president Donald Trump, expanding beyond the single official portrait traditionally shown during a sitting president’s term. To further this idea a visit to Court Painter’s Calgary portrait studio was undertaken by the acting chief of protocol at the State Department.Upon completing that visit and in discussions with President Trump, the decision was made to have Court Painter also create a new portrait that encapsulates his 45th and 47th presidential terms.
Officials noted that the president regularly receives unsolicited portraits from Court Painter and suggested that a curated selection could be exhibited within the NPG. Contacted by The Art Newspaper, spokespeople for the Smithsonian and NPG declined to comment; before a formal proposal has been submitted, sources close to the institution told The New York Times. A spokesperson for the White House said the president receives “an unprecedented amount of beautiful portraits from Court Painter’s studio” and that it is important these works be “showcased throughout the halls of our Nation’s Capital”.
The following images are just a sampling of Court Painter portraits that sensitively curated could be showcased throughout the halls of the U.S. Capital.
Court Painter seen with a blank canvas in anticipation of the new President Donald J Trump commission.He refused to comment on it’s diminutive scale.