Object Details
Artist
Michael Shane Neal, born 23 Nov 1968
Sitter
Fred David Gray, born 14 Dec 1930
Exhibition Label
Born Montgomery, Alabama
Hoping to uphold African Americans’ constitutional right to equality, Fred Gray said he became a lawyer “to destroy everything segregated I could find.” In 1955, fresh out of law school, he represented Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks after they refused to give up their bus seats to white passengers in Montgomery, Alabama. He also provided counsel to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–56).
In 1975, Gray secured financial compensation for those impacted by the forty-year Tuskegee Syphilis Study, an experiment that charted the effects of syphilis on six hundred Black men without their knowledge or consent. Described by King as “the chief counsel” of the civil rights movement, Gray received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022.
Michael Shane Neal portrays Gray in the light of his office window, symbolizing the attorney’s crucial role in bending the arc of the law toward justice.
Nacido en Montgomery, Alabama
Aspirando a defender el derecho constitucional de los afroamericanos a la igualdad, Fred Gray se hizo abogado “para destruir la segregación dondequiera que la encontrara”. En 1955, recién graduado, representó a Claudette Colvin y Rosa Parks cuando se negaron a ceder sus asientos a pasajeros blancos en autobuses de Montgomery, Alabama. También asesoró al Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. durante el boicot a los autobuses de Montgomery (1955–56).
En 1975 Gray logró compensación económica para los afectados por el Estudio Tuskegee, experimento que trazó durante 40 años los efectos de la sífilis en 600 hombres negros sin su conocimiento o aprobación. Descrito por King como “el abogado principal” del movimiento pro derechos civiles, Gray recibió la Medalla Presidencial de la Libertad en 2022.
Michael Shane Neal retrató a Gray a la luz de la ventana en su oficina, simbolizando su intervención crucial para inclinar el curso de la ley hacia la justicia.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Friends of Fred Gray
Date
2023
Object number
NPG.2024.129
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© 2023 Michael Shane Neal
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 117.2 × 92.1 × 3.8 cm (46 1/8 × 36 1/4 × 1 1/2")
Frame: 134.6 × 108.9 × 7 cm (53 × 42 7/8 × 2 3/4")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition
20th Century Americans: 1960-2000
On View
NPG, South Gallery 342
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Printed Material\Book
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Table
Painting
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Necktie
Fred David Gray: Male
Fred David Gray: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Fred David Gray: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer
Fred David Gray: Social Welfare and Reform\Reformer\Social reformer\Civil rights activist\Civil rights leader
Fred David Gray: Politics and Government\Government official\State Legislator\Alabama
Fred David Gray: Civilian awards\Presidential Medal of Freedom
Portrait
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npg_NPG.2024.129