A portrait of former President Donald Trump will be hanging in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington when the museum reopens to the public.
The portrait will be in the museum’s America’s Presidents gallery, which has portraits of all past presidents.
The portrait will be a new acquisition, Concetta Duncan, head of communications at the gallery, told The Epoch Times via email. It could be a painting, a photograph, or a work on paper.
“The new acquisition will be installed on our walls prior to the museum’s reopening at which time visitors will be able to see it if they secure a free, timed-entry pass,” she said.
Duncan did not say if the piece has been completed and who has been chosen to create the artwork. Trump’s team didn’t respond to an inquiry.
The portrait will not be in the gallery permanently. The museum commissions official portraits of past presidents. That official portrait is still in the early process and there is no timeline to share at this time.
“We are still in conversation stages regarding the official commission,” Duncan said.
The temporary piece will not have an unveiling, she added. An unveiling event will happen for the actual commission.
The Washingtonian first reported on the Trump portrait.
“We are a non-partisan institution and understand that there are public opinions on both sides of the fence,” Sajet said. “As with all recent presidential commissions, we are unable to speculate as to how visitors will receive the portraits once completed. That is the beauty of portraiture: How it is received is always different for different people.”
The portrait of former President Barack Obama was unveiled during a ceremony on Feb. 12, 2018. The piece was painted by Kehinde Wiley. Amy Sherald created a portrait for former First Lady Michelle Obama.
“It’s hard to, obviously, judge something that is a portrait of you, but what I can say unequivocally is that I am in awe of Kehinde’s gifts and what he and Amy have given to this country and to the world and we are both very grateful to have been the subject of their attention for this brief moment,” Barack Obama said during the ceremony.
“It’s all chance driven and, Mr. President, I thank you for giving me a chance and I thank you for giving this nation a chance to experience your splendor on a global scale,” Wiley added.
