Obama Image To Hang At National Portrait Gallery
President-elect Barack Obama's image will hang in the National Portrait Gallery even before he takes office.
The gallery announced Wednesday that a red, white and blue collage by Los Angeles street artist Shepard Fairey, depicting Obama with the word "Hope," has been acquired by the Smithsonian Institution.
Art collectors Heather and Tony Podesta donated money to the Smithsonian to purchase the work.
Portrait Gallery director Martin Sullivan says it's an emblem of a "significant election, as well as a new presidency." The portrait will be hung by Inauguration Day in an exhibit titled "New Arrivals."
The popular image of Obama was used throughout the presidential campaign. Time magazine recently commissioned Fairey to create a similar image of Obama for its Person of the Year cover.
