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Catalog Data

Depicted:
Ellington, Duke  Search this
Maker:
Ellington, Gaye  Search this
Physical Description:
canvas (overall material)
wood (overall material)
paint (overall material)
Measurements:
overall: 41 in x 40 in x 5 in; 104.14 cm x 101.6 cm x 12.7 cm
Object Name:
painting
Date made:
1985
Description (Brief):
Acrylic on canvas painting of Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, done by his granddaughter, Gaye Ellington in 1985. Ms. Ellington painted this posthumous portrait in order to create a memorial that preserved her sense of the creative and loving legacy her grandfather had left her.
In a past interview, Gaye Ellington explained the reasons that led her to create this portrait, even though portraiture is not her usual subject matter: “Ever since my grandfather had died, a lot of people had done art work representing him. They were what other people saw in my grandfather. When I looked at them, they weren’t what I thought about him, and it disturbed me. … A lot of the photographs of him where very serious. I’m not saying he was always happy. But he would turn around in a minute and smile.”
Location:
Currently not on view
Referenced:
Jazz  Search this
Subject:
African American  Search this
ID Number:
1989.0369.444
Accession number:
1989.0369
Catalog number:
1989.0369.444
See more items in:
Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
Music & Musical Instruments
Popular Entertainment
Highlights from the Culture and the Arts Collection
Art
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746aa-6fe8-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmah_1201271