June 11th, 2009
National Portrait Gallery
8th St NW
Washington DC 20001
Dear National Portrait Gallery,
I am writing you in hope that I may submit a portrait painting (oil on panel) to the National Portrait Gallery. As you are aware of, the NPG recently unveiled the official portrait of the 43rd President George W. Bush on December 19th, 2008. Accompanied with the painting was the caption, “[His two terms were] marked by a series of catastrophic events [including] the attacks on September 11th, 2001, that led to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.” Following the unveiling, Senator Bernard Sanders of Vermont wrote to the NPG with the suggestion of correcting the text to remove the “collaborative relationship” between Iraq and September 11th attacks, citing a quote from President G. W. Bush in September 2003, “We’ve had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with September the 11th.” The Gallery Director, Martin Sullivan, thought the request was reasonable and agreed to remove the words “led to” from the caption. Mr. Sullivan responded later by saying, “We have got to get our history right [. . .] I don't like the rewriting of history."
The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery was established to visually “tell the stories of America through the individuals who have shaped U.S. culture,” to “link us to our past, our present, and our future”, including “poets and presidents, visionaries and villains”.
With these two statements in mind, I would like to submit a portrait painting of an Iraqi resistance fighter. I agree completely with the Gallery’s Director, Martin Sullivan, that it is essential to understand our history and not to rewrite it to fit to our own viewpoint. I believe that this painting, created in response to the events discussed above, will help to further that understanding. The portrait was created, not to glorify violence in Iraq, but to remind Americans of just one of the many disastrous and destructive results of the Iraq War. Understanding that the attacks on September the 11th did not “led to” the Iraq War, but the Iraq War led to the destruction of a country, a people, and a culture, and to the creation of many new enemies.
I would like to offer the donation of this painting to the NPG free of charge. My only request is that the painting be presented with a caption that includes its purpose. Being the artist, I have full ownership of the work. I have included images of the painting along with this letter for your consideration. I would like to thank you for your time and thought. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Chris Revelle
National Portrait Gallery
8th St NW
Washington DC 20001
Dear National Portrait Gallery,
I am writing you in hope that I may submit a portrait painting (oil on panel) to the National Portrait Gallery. As you are aware of, the NPG recently unveiled the official portrait of the 43rd President George W. Bush on December 19th, 2008. Accompanied with the painting was the caption, “[His two terms were] marked by a series of catastrophic events [including] the attacks on September 11th, 2001, that led to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.” Following the unveiling, Senator Bernard Sanders of Vermont wrote to the NPG with the suggestion of correcting the text to remove the “collaborative relationship” between Iraq and September 11th attacks, citing a quote from President G. W. Bush in September 2003, “We’ve had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with September the 11th.” The Gallery Director, Martin Sullivan, thought the request was reasonable and agreed to remove the words “led to” from the caption. Mr. Sullivan responded later by saying, “We have got to get our history right [. . .] I don't like the rewriting of history."
The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery was established to visually “tell the stories of America through the individuals who have shaped U.S. culture,” to “link us to our past, our present, and our future”, including “poets and presidents, visionaries and villains”.
With these two statements in mind, I would like to submit a portrait painting of an Iraqi resistance fighter. I agree completely with the Gallery’s Director, Martin Sullivan, that it is essential to understand our history and not to rewrite it to fit to our own viewpoint. I believe that this painting, created in response to the events discussed above, will help to further that understanding. The portrait was created, not to glorify violence in Iraq, but to remind Americans of just one of the many disastrous and destructive results of the Iraq War. Understanding that the attacks on September the 11th did not “led to” the Iraq War, but the Iraq War led to the destruction of a country, a people, and a culture, and to the creation of many new enemies.
I would like to offer the donation of this painting to the NPG free of charge. My only request is that the painting be presented with a caption that includes its purpose. Being the artist, I have full ownership of the work. I have included images of the painting along with this letter for your consideration. I would like to thank you for your time and thought. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Chris Revelle
