Books
N.V. Parekh and the Rise of Studio Photography in East Africa
Isolde Brielmaier’s book I Am Sparkling illustrates how Parekh’s studio became a place for sitters to assert their agency in a changing world.
Portraiture
News
Four Years Late, New Official Obama Portraits Are Unveiled
The paintings, by Robert McCurdy and Sharon Sprung, will hang in the White House.
News
Critics Roast Prince William and Kate Middleton's Official Portrait
The uncanny painting by artist Jamie Coreth has prompted speculations of a Dorian Gray-style bargain and drawn comparisons to Madame Tussauds's wax figures.
Art
An Artist’s Opiate Addiction Recovery Through Photography
For New Mexico-based artist Frank Blazquez, portraiture was the way out of a crippling opiate addiction.
Art
The Calligraphic Character of Holbein’s Portraits
An exhibition at the Getty unleashes the dynamic character of Holbein’s portraits in ways I’ve never seen before.
Art
Caught in the Embrace of Shizu Saldamando’s Portraits
Saldamando portrays people isolated at home, waiting out a public health crisis.
Art
Self-Portrait as Future
When looking at images from the golden age of Sudanese photography, I was reminded to listen as much as look.
Art
Looking at Kehinde Wiley and Thomas Gainsborough Side by Side
It is perhaps no surprise that Wiley’s oeuvre is a favorite among curators seeking to inject new relevance into their collection of European masters.
Art
rafa esparza’s Lovingly Collaborative Portraits of Artists and Friends
rafa esparaza's paintings insist upon the rightful presence of brown, Black, and queer bodies in the white cube of the gallery.
Art
Six Black Artists Test the Limits of Portraiture
"The Black Index" at UC Irvine pursues knottier narratives of self-representation.
Art
Who Should Create Trump’s Doomed Presidential Portrait?
Hyperallergic has a few suggestions.
Art
Painting a Portrait Is “Like Falling in Love,” Says Jiab Prachakul
Prachakul paints friends and acquaintances who, like the artist, are part of the Asian diaspora.