Hip-Hop Hits the Smithsonian
Feb 25, 2008 6:34 PM
Thirty years after
"Rapper's Delight" hit airwaves, the Smithsonian Exhibition has made
hip-hop the subject of a new National Portrait Gallery showcase. Dubbed
Recognize! Hip-Hop and Contemporary Portraiture, the exhibit opened earlier
this month and will run through Oct. 26, featuring a mix of photography,
painting, video portraits and graffiti murals.
Among the highlights is a
portrait of LL Cool J by New York artist Kehinde Wiley. It is based on a famous
portrait of oilman John D. Rockefeller and was first commissioned by VH1 for
its 2005 Hip-Hop Honors award program. Wiley also contributed paintings of
Ice-T and Big Daddy Kane. Other notable works include photographs of Common and
Mos Def by New Mexico artist David Scheinbaum and video-based portraits by
University of Maryland teacher Jefferson Pinder. Artists Tim Conlon and Dave
Hupp contributed four large '80s-style graffiti murals that illustrate
graffiti's importance to the development of hip-hop culture.
Get more info and
exhibition hours at www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/recognize/index.html.
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