Boris Chaliapin, 22 Sep 1904 - 18 May 1979 Search this
Sitter:
Althea Gibson, 25 Aug 1927 - 28 Sep 2003 Search this
Medium:
Watercolor and graphite pencil on paperboard
Dimensions:
Sight: 62.3 x 46.3 cm (24 1/2 x 18 1/4")
Mat: 71.1 x 55.9 cm (28 x 22")
Type:
Painting
Date:
1957
Exhibition Label:
Born Silver, South Carolina
In 1955, Althea Gibson contemplated retiring from competitive tennis. Had she done so, she would have denied herself her greatest moment. Two years later, this “lanky jumping jack of a girl,” who had begun her sports career playing paddle tennis in New York’s Harlem, was arriving home from England, the winner of the women’s singles and doubles titles at the prestigious Wimbledon championships. Within another two months, she had won the U.S. women’s singles crown at Forest Hills, New York, and emerged triumphant as America’s clay court champion as well. “Althea Gibson,” reported Time magazine in its cover story for August 26, 1957, “is not the most graceful figure on the courts, and her game is not stylish.” Nevertheless, it was clear that at thirty—an age when most tennis players lose their competitive edge—she was only then hitting her stride.
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.
