Recognize! Hip Hop And Contemporary Portraiture

Since its inception in the 1970s, hip hop has been arguably the most influential and popular musical form in America. Starting February 8, the National Portrait Gallery is featuring the work of artists who have explored this phenomenon. David Scheinbaum has been photographing hip hop artists since 2000, both in concert and offstage, including such celebrated groups as Public Enemy, Blackalicious, Phar Cyde, De La Soul and Jurassic-5. Kehinde Wiley, best known for his large, colorful paintings of anonymous young black men, has created portraits of hip hop artists such as LL Cool J and Ice T, each based on a famous European or American painting from the 17th through 19th centuries. Nikki Giovanni has written a poem that will be transcribed onto walls in the exhibition and also interpreted artistically by artist Shinique Smith. Tim Conlon and Dave Hupp, two Washington, D.C–based graffiti artists, created four portrait murals to be installed in a hallway that connects the galleries. Jefferson Pinder created three video self-portraits that will be included in the installation.