Dec 13, 2023 - News

Oprah Winfrey portrait unveiled at National Portrait Gallery

Paige Hopkins

Oprah Winfrey and artist Shawn Michael Warren pose with Winfrey's official National Portrait Gallery portrait, where she's depicted in a purple gown in her prayer garden. — Chicago artist Shawn Michael Warren and Oprah Winfrey. Photo: Paige Hopkins/Axios

The National Portrait Gallery unveiled Oprah Winfrey's official portrait on Wednesday.

Driving the news: The portrait, by Chicago artist Shawn Michael Warren, is now on display on the gallery's first floor, depicting Oprah wearing a purple gown in the prayer garden of her California home.

Details: During the star-studded portrait reveal ceremony, Winfrey reflected on her humble beginnings in rural Mississippi, her iconic talk show, and her role in "The Color Purple."

Journalist Gayle King, director Ava DuVernay, designer Christian Siriano, and Oprah's partner Steadman Graham were in attendance.

What she's saying: "On the eve of my 70th birthday — to have a portrait included in the National Portrait Gallery alongside all the greats," Winfrey said.

"Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and Ida B. Wells, Michelle and Barack Obama, Lena Horne, John F. Kennedy, Oprah Winfrey."

Listen to some of Oprah's remarks

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Oprah Winfrey portrait unveiled at National Portrait Gallery

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