Katharine Hepburn @ National Portrait Gallery
Katharine Hepburn, one of the most iconic actresses of the 20th century, is the latest person to be featured in the National Portrait Gallery’s “One Life” gallery. Kate: A Centennial Celebration, which opened today, presents a multi-media approach to Hepburn’s life — photographs, video clips, her four Best Actress Oscar statuettes, a Brooks Brothers red turtleneck sweater, and a studio contract are all on display.
The four statuettes, which Hepburn won for Morning Glory, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter and On Golden Pond, were never displayed before, and here they’re a testament to an acting career that spanned decades. Nine film clips are available to watch in the video kiosk, with scenes from Little Women, The Philadelphia Story, and The African Queen, among others. Also on display is a portrait of Hepburn wearing a straw hat, painted by Everett Raymond Kinstler in 1982, which Hepburn called her “favorite.”
The “One Life” gallery is tiny, but it’s just the right size to display an intimate collection of objects, drawing the viewer closer into a life that we all know so well. The obvious downside to the show is that there are so many other objects that could be included, and it would be wonderful to have a whole museum wing dedicated to an exploration of Hepburn’s life. But National Portrait Gallery historian Amy Henderson, a friend of the Hepburns who selected the actress as the subject of the show, does a terrific job of shaping a narrative arc of Hepburn’s life. The exhibit begins with pictures from Hepburn’s childhood, explains how she became involved in acting and traces her acting career, up until 1981’s On Golden Pond. Along the way we learn about how Hepburn carefully crafted her own image — she considered herself a movie star and owned the rights to The Philadelphia Story — to make herself a unique screen presence.
Though small, Kate is a great introduction to her life for those who may not know much about her. For Hepburn fanatics, it’s wonderful to see personal objects and photographs juxtaposed with mementos of her film career, creating a full portrait of the actress’s life.
Kate is the third exhibit to be shown in the “One Life” gallery — Walt Whitman: A Kosmos was the first, followed by Portraits of Sandra Day O’Connor.
Kate: A Centennial Celebration runs until June 1, 2008 at the National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F Streets, NW. Gallery hours: 11:30 a.m.- 7 p.m. daily.
Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant in “Bringing Up Baby,” RKO, 1938.
Publicity photograph Courtesy Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills, California.