Photos from National Portrait Gallery's Hip Hop Portraiture Show for Your Web Use

Mule by Jefferson Pinder

8 mm film transferred to digital video, 2006
Jefferson Pinder, courtesy of G Fine Art; © Jefferson Pinder

The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery got caught by surprise when they discovered hip hop bloggers posting hi-resolution images from the upcoming RECOGNIZE! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture show.

I spoke with NPG's Bethany Bentley who told me that they did not intend for the hi-res images to go online due to agreements with artists.  But they are happy to send out lo-res images for folks that will use them to publicize the show.  The truth is they haven't gotten this online response before so it's part of their learning curve.

I want to say that Ms. Bentley was very open and straightforward and she also gave me permission to post all the photos below in lo-res, web ready form and let people know that you can download them from here for use on your site as long as you do the two following things:
1) credit the artist
2) link to the show

Here's the link to the NPG site for RECOGNIZE! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture: http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/recognize/visit.html

If you do pick these up here, I'd love a link back but the main thing is to give the artists and the National Portrait Gallery props.  I think if bloggers, in particular, work with such institutions when we can, it will lead to us getting more cool stuff in the long run.

To contact Bethany Bentley:
Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
+1-202-633-8293

LL Cool J By Kehinde Wiley

Oil on canvas, 2005
LL Cool J; © Kehinde Wiley

Dilated Peoples, DJ Babu, Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, NM by David Scheinbaum

Gelatin silver print, 2002
David Scheinbaum; © David Scheinbaum

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five by Kehinde Wiley

Oil on canvas, 2005
Collection Glenn Fuhrman, New York; © Kehinde Wiley

Erykah Badu, Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, NM by David Scheinbaum

Gelatin silver print, 2002
David Scheinbaum; © David Scheinbaum

Ice T by Kehinde Wiley

Oil on canvas, 2005
Private Collection, courtesy Rhona Hoffman Gallery; © Kehinde Wiley

Jean Grae, Coachella, Indio, CA by David Scheinbaum

Gelatin silver print, 2002
David Scheinbaum; © David Scheinbaum

KRS One, Paramount, Santa Fe, NM by David Scheinbaum

Gelatin silver print, 2002
David Scheinbaum; © David Scheinbaum

Jurassic 5, Akil, Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, NM by David Scheinbaum

Gelatin silver print, 2002
David Scheinbaum; © David Scheinbaum

The Pharcyde, Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, NM by David Scheinbaum

Gelatin silver print, 2002
David Scheinbaum; © David Scheinbaum

Recognize! Mural by Tim Conlon and Dave Hupp

Montana spray paint on Sintra panel, 2007
Tim Conlon and Dave Hupp; photograph by Mark Gulezian

Over at Hip Hop Press:
RECOGNIZE! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture Opens Feb. 8 at the National Portrait Gallery

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
RECOGNIZE! Hip Hop & Contemporary Portraiture @ Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery