![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i272.photobucket.com\/albums\/jj169\/carysn\/TrumanFamily1952-0035.jpg\" "\\"Truman\\"")
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NEWS RELEASE
\nFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
\nSeptember 1, 2009
\nContact: Dr. Joan Stack (573) 882-7083<\/p>\n
Twentieth-Century Portraits<\/strong><\/p>\n Columbia\u2014The art exhibit Twentieth-Century Portraits: From Famous to Familiar will open September 19, 2009, in the Main Gallery of The State Historical Society of Missouri. The exhibition explores how twentieth-century Missouri artists answered the difficult question \u201cWhat is a portrait?\u201d in an age when photographs became widely available and audiences began to question whether the complexities of identity could be captured by traditional artistic imitation.<\/p>\n A special work that will be included in the exhibit, The Truman Family by Greta Kempton (1952), represents President Truman, Mrs. Truman, and their daughter, Margaret. Kempton also painted Truman\u2019s official presidential portrait. The Truman Family was commissioned for the Society by Richard R. Nacy of Jefferson City with extra funds raised by Missouri Democrats for Truman\u2019s 1948 inaugural celebration. The large painting is one of the Society\u2019s most significant portraits, and has been on loan to the Missouri State Governor\u2019s Mansion for several years. This exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to view this important work from the Society\u2019s permanent collection.<\/p>\n The exhibit will feature portraits of and by Missourians, and include likenesses of such famous residents as Mark Twain and President Harry S. Truman, as well as images of less well-known citizens. Portraits in a variety of media will be exhibited, including several lithographs by Thomas Hart Benton. The renderings will range from naturalistic to abstract and reflect the diversity of our people and inventiveness of our artists.<\/p>\n About The State Historical Society of Missouri<\/strong><\/p>\n Founded in 1898 by the Missouri Press Association and a trustee of the state since 1899, the Society is the preeminent research facility for the study of the Show Me State\u2019s heritage and a leader in programming designed to share that heritage with the public. Through educational outreach, such as the Missouri History Speakers\u2019 Bureau and genealogy workshops, or the performing arts, like MoHiP Theatre, the Society not only brings Missouri history to the state\u2019s citizens, but also gives Missourians the tools to uncover the history in their own lives. The Society is located on the ground floor of Ellis Library on the University of Missouri campus at Hitt Street and Lowry Mall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 1, 2009 Contact: Dr. Joan Stack (573) 882-7083 Twentieth-Century Portraits Columbia\u2014The art exhibit Twentieth-Century Portraits: From Famous to Familiar will open September 19, 2009, in the Main Gallery of The State Historical Society of…<\/span><\/p>\n