Data Source

National Portrait Gallery

Exhibition Label

Soprano Leontyne Price trained at Juilliard and first scored a major success in 1952, appearing as Bess in a touring production of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. In 1955 she appeared in an NBC telecast of Tosca and was subsequently in high demand by opera houses in London, Vienna, and Milan. It was not until 1961 that she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera-as Leonora in Il Trovatore-and she quickly became a Met favorite until her farewell performance there in 1985. Especially associated with the work of Verdi and Samuel Barber, Price sang the title role in Cleopatra-which Barber created for her-at the opening of the Met's new home at Lincoln Center. Price was also a tireless performer on the recital circuit and won fifteen Grammys for her recordings. She received a Kennedy Center Honors award in 1980.

Provenance

The artist; his sister Sheldon Sayre, Cambridge, Mass.; gift 1991 NPG

Artist

Bradley Phillips, 1929 - 1 May 1991

Sitter

Leontyne Price, born 10 Feb 1927

Date

1963

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Ms. Sayre Sheldon

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

Stretcher: 127.6 x 92.1 x 3.8cm (50 1/4 x 36 1/4 x 1 1/2")

Frame: 147.3 x 125.1 x 7.3cm (58 x 49 1/4 x 2 7/8")

Type

Painting

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Exhibition

Bravo!

On View

NPG, South Gallery 321 Mezzanine

Object number

NPG.91.96

Culture

Leontyne Price: American\African American

Topic

Costume\Jewelry\Earring

Costume\Jewelry\Necklace\Pearl

Costume\Jewelry\Ring

Nature & Environment\Plant\Tree

Interior\Interior with Exterior View

Costume\Jewelry\Ring\Wedding Band

Architecture\Column

Leontyne Price: Female

Leontyne Price: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Opera

Leontyne Price: Presidential Medal of Freedom

Portrait