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Brad Pitt

National Portrait Gallery

Object Details

Artist
Colin Davidson, born 1968
Sitter
Brad Pitt, born 1963
Exhibition Label
Born Shawnee, Oklahoma
A familiar face on screen since the late 1980s, Brad Pitt won a Golden Globe Award for his role as a patient in the psychological thriller Twelve Monkeys (1995). Nominated for four Academy Awards, he served as a producer on 12 Years a Slave (2013), which won a Best Picture Oscar.
Colin Davidson’s portrait of Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard caught Pitt’s eye when he saw it reproduced on an album cover. On several occasions, the actor and artist met in London, Surrey, and Buckinghamshire, where they spent time together painting and talking. During these sessions, Davidson began a series of portraits of Pitt, including this one, made just before Pitt cut his hair short for the filming of Fury (2014). The glassy, introspective eyes are typical of Davidson’s noncommissioned portraits, as he seeks “a certain vulnerable quality.” He desires to capture his subjects “lost in thought,” removed from the celebrity persona that we normally see in the mass media.
Brad Pitt nacido en 1963
Nacido en Shawnee, Oklahoma
Rostro habitual en la pantalla grande desde finales de los ochenta, Brad Pitt ganó un Golden Globe por su actuación como paciente psiquiátrico en la película de suspenso Twelve Monkeys (1995), ha sido nominado para cuatro Oscars y fue uno de los productores de 12 Years a Slave (2013), ganadora del Oscar a la mejor película.
Pitt se fijó en el trabajo de Colin Davidson por un retrato que este le había hecho al cantautor irlandés Glen Hansard y que aparecía en la carátula de uno de sus discos. Luego Pitt y Davidson se encontrarían varias veces en Londres, Surrey y Buckinghamshire, donde pasarían tiempo pintando y conversando. Durante esas sesiones, Davidson comenzó una serie de retratos de Pitt, incluido el que aquí presentamos, antes de que el actor se cortara el pelo para filmar Fury (2014). El gesto de introspección y la mirada perdida son típicos de los retratos no comisionados de Davidson, porque en ellos busca “un cierto aire de vulnerabilidad”. Desea captar a sus modelos “absortos en sus pensamientos”, lejos de la imagen de celebridad que normalmente vemos en los medios de comunicación.
Colin Davidson (nacido en 1968)
Óleo sobre lienzo, 2013
Donación de la Colección Lowry Wallace, Irlanda
Provenance
The artist
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of The Lowry Wallace Collection (Ireland)
2013
Object number
NPG.2014.101
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© 2013 Colin Davidson
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 127 × 116.8 cm (50 × 46")
Place
British Isles\Ireland
Éire\Leinster\Dublin
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Brad Pitt: Male
Brad Pitt: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Film\Movie actor
Portrait
Record ID
npg_NPG.2014.101
Metadata Usage (text)
Usage conditions apply
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm42d6d1680-8c11-46e7-88fc-9296e943eff2

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