Hope behind the rope
Perhaps the only thing more famous than President-elect Barack Obama himself is the infamous “Hope” portrait that became a prominent symbol of Obama’s presidential run and a mainstay on posters, buttons and T-shirts.
The portrait’s artist, Shepard Fairey, had his iconic image acquired by the National Portrait Gallery (through the generosity of the portrait’s owners, Heather and Tony Podesta), and it was entered into the museum’s permanent collection Saturday.
“This is absolutely surreal that it’s in the National Portrait Gallery,” said Fairey, who has began his career as a little-known street artist. “It’s a positive image and references the positive.”
Fairey’s hopeful that the Obama administration will be a champion of the arts (“Recognizing it is a start. … We’re hopeful that Obama will do something tangible.”), and believes President Bush failed to deliver for the creative community. “Under Bush, it seemed so bleak that I didn’t try to do anything to change that. I felt very hopeless during the Bush years.”
So who will be his next portrait? Fairey’s not sure, but he wants to focus on environmental issues. So maybe Al Gore? “I like Al Gore, but I thought he was a wimp in 2000.”
