Jamie Dimon portrait picked for exhibition at National Portrait Gallery
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Photo: Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
The National Portrait Gallery will soon feature a face familiar to many in New York and Washington alike: JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.
Why it matters: A portrait of Dimon, the longest-serving Wall Street CEO, is among those featured in a new exhibition that honors "extraordinary individuals who have made transformative contributions to the United States," the gallery says.
Zoom in: Dimon is among four individuals — including filmmaker Steven Spielberg, poet laureate Joy Harjo and researcher Temple Grandin — whose portraits will be on display at the Smithsonian Institution through Oct. 2026.
- The portraits will be shown as part of the museum's "Portrait of a Nation" exhibition, which has featured new honorees regularly since 2015.
What they're saying: "I like the recognition of business in general, which drives growth, innovation and employment," Dimon tells Axios of the inclusion of his portrait, which was shot by Jason Alden for Bloomberg in 2023.
- "There's a notion of the greatness of this country that enables these things to happen in the first place — that the grandson of Greek immigrants can end up being the CEO of JPMorgan Chase," he says.
- "When I die, I just hope people say they're going to miss the son of a b---h and that he made the world a better place — and we all do that in our own way," says Dimon, who has the led the nation's largest bank for almost 20 years.
Of note: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi are among the business leaders whose portraits have been previously featured in the exhibition.
The big picture: The exhibition "allows us to recognize leaders from across sectors—from the arts to business to public service—who have had a transformative impact on our nation," Rhea Combs, the museum's director of curatorial affairs, said in a statement to Axios.
- "At the National Portrait Gallery, the story of America is told through the individuals who have shaped our culture, history, and civic life in profound ways," Combs says.
The intrigue: The White House in recent months has taken aim at cultural institutions, including the Smithsonian museums that are federally funded but have operated independently of the executive branch.
- The longtime National Portrait Gallery director resigned in June, weeks after Trump threatened to fire her.
What's next: The exhibition is scheduled to open on Nov. 14.
- That assumes a political gridlock in Washington comes to an end: The museum is currently closed due to the government shutdown.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to indicate the exhibition is updated regularly (not annually).
