The Nation
| Getty Images |
If you’re headed to the National Portrait Gallery’s bathroom anytime within the next six weeks, you might be taken aback at a portrait hanging above the second floor water fountain: That of Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert.
Recommended Stories
As has been documented on recent episodes of “The Colbert Report,” the comedian has been pressing the gallery to display his portrait (a digital image, really). And because no one can turn down the all-powerful Colbert Nation, the gallery caved. The accompanying description reads, in part: “While this triple portrait is not one that would typically be accessioned into the portrait gallery’s permanent collection, NPG agreed to go along with the joke and hang the portrait for a limited time.”
“People are excited to see it,” said gallery spokeswoman Bethany Bentley, who spent Wednesday fielding phone calls from Colbert fans eager to see the portrait after watching Tuesday night’s show. Some people came to the gallery during their lunch break just to see the portrait. Bentley concedes that it’s largely a publicity stunt, saying “The Colbert Report”’s audience “is a demographic that is probably more difficult for us to get in the door.”
“When we did the show, we knew we would be part of this joke,” Bentley said. “And we wanted to interest this new generation.”
