Object Details
- Artist
- Boris Chaliapin, 22 Sep 1904 - 18 May 1979
- Sitter
- Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, 27 Feb 1932 - 23 Mar 2011
- Exhibition Label
- Time reported in 1949 that “the movie business was bad last year,” and Hollywood was looking for remedies, namely better stories and younger performers. One actress in particular seemed to be a sure fix, the seventeen-year-old former child prodigy Elizabeth Taylor. She had been the star of National Velvet (1944) and was currently among the bevy of starlets in MGM’s Little Women, with prospects of glamorous adult roles to follow. Her “great beauty,” as captured here by artist Boris Chaliapin, was her “foremost asset,” for beneath that “breath-taking façade,” reported Time, “there is scarcely a symptom of sophistication.” Despite Time’s dismissive assessment, Taylor would go on to win two Oscars for Best Actress and is regarded as one of the supreme stars of Hollywood’s golden age.
- Time reportó en 1949 que “el año pasado fue malo para el negocio de las películas” y que Hollywood estaba en busca de remedios, es decir, mejores guiones y actores más jóvenes. Si alguien parecía una solución segura era la ex niña prodigio Elizabeth Taylor, entonces de diecisiete años. Taylor había protagonizado National Velvet (1944) y en ese momento formaba parte de la camada de estrellas en ciernes ubicadas por MGM en Little Women, además de tener en su horizonte glamorosos papeles adultos. Su “gran belleza”, como la captó el artista Boris Chaliapin, era su “mayor ventaja”, pues tras esa “sensacional fachada”, comentó Time, “no existe apenas indicio de sofisticación”. A pesar de esta desdeñosa apreciación, Taylor llegaría a ganar dos Oscars por mejor actriz y se le considera una de las estrellas supremas de la era dorada de Hollywood.
- Collection Description
- In 1978, Time magazine donated approximately eight hundred works of original cover art to the National Portrait Gallery. The museum is dedicated to telling the stories of individuals who have shaped the United States, and the Time Collection—featuring prominent international figures and events—enriches our understanding of the United States in a global context.
- En 1978, la revista Time donó a la National Portrait Gallery cerca de 800 obras de arte originales creadas para sus portadas. Nuestro museo se dedica a narrar la historia de figuras que han contribuido a forjar el desarrollo de Estados Unidos, y es así que la Colección Time, que incluye retratos de importantes personalidades internacionales, nos ayuda a comprender mejor a nuestra nación en un contexto global.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Mrs. Boris Chaliapin
- 1949
- Object number
- NPG.88.TC64
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Chris Murphy
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Gouache on paperboard
- Dimensions
- Image: 30.5 x 27.5cm (12 x 10 13/16")
- Mat: 55.9 × 40.6cm (22 × 16")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Costume\Jewelry\Earring
- Symbols & Motifs\Star
- Nature & Environment\Moon
- Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor: Female
- Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Theater\Stage actor
- Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor: Social Welfare and Reform\Philanthropist
- Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor: Social Welfare and Reform\Reformer\Activist
- Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Film\Movie actor
- Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Television\Television actor
- Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor: Performing arts awards\Academy Award
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.88.TC64
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm42175e03b-d70c-4b01-af0f-3de290a640b1
