Robert F. Kennedy

Artist

Gardner Cox, 22 Jan 1906 - 14 Jan 1988

Sitter

Robert Francis Kennedy, 20 Nov 1925 - 6 Jun 1968

Exhibition Label

Born Brookline, Massachusetts

Bobby Kennedy, running for the Democratic presidential nomination, was shot and killed by assassin Sirhan Sirhan on June 5, 1968, after winning the California primary. This tragically ended one of the most interesting political careers in modern American history. Coming only months after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Kennedy's killing plunged an already dismal year of violence and confrontation into further darkness. The younger brother of President John F. Kennedy, Robert served as his attorney general and was then elected senator from New York. Kennedy entered the 1968 presidential race in opposition to the Johnson administration's Vietnam policy and as a progressive voice on urban and racial issues.

Gardner Cox began this portrait, a commission from the Department of Justice, in February 1968 but finished it after the assassination. A muted, reflective, and melancholy image-at odds with Cox's usual style-it was rejected as too informal.

Provenance

The artist; gift to NPG 1969

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the artist

1968

Object number

NPG.69.54

Restrictions & Rights

CC0

Copyright

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Type

Painting

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

Stretcher: 78.1 x 61cm (30 3/4 x 24")

Frame: 105.4 x 88.9 x 8.9cm (41 1/2 x 35 x 3 1/2")

Exhibition

20th Century Americans: 1960-2000

On View

NPG, South Gallery 342

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Robert Francis Kennedy: Male

Robert Francis Kennedy: Politics and Government\US Senator\New York

Robert Francis Kennedy: Law and Law Enforcement\Lawyer

Robert Francis Kennedy: Politics and Government\Cabinet Member\US Attorney General

Robert Francis Kennedy: Literature\Writer

Robert Francis Kennedy: Politics and Government\Presidential Candidate

Robert Francis Kennedy: Politics and Government\Campaign Director

Robert Francis Kennedy: Politics and Government\Brother of US President

Robert Francis Kennedy: Congressional Gold Medal

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.69.54

Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm476894698-bbbe-4ae8-9e5e-30d934e13eb5