Smithsonian Collections
Leontyne Price

- 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