Object Details
Artist
Arnold A. Newman, 3 Mar 1918 - 6 Jun 2006
Sitter
J. Robert Oppenheimer, 22 Apr 1904 - 18 Feb 1967
Exhibition Label
Born New York City
During World War II (1939–45), theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer led the top-secret Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb—the world’s first nuclear weapon. After the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, Japan surrendered, ending the war. Oppenheimer later stated that these weapons “dramatized so mercilessly the inhumanity and evil of modern war.”
When a variant of this photograph was published in Fortune magazine in October 1948, the caption described Oppenheimer as “one of the youngest, most brilliant brains to emerge from the atom-bomb project.” He was then serving as the chair of the General Advisory Committee of the Atomic Energy Commission. In that role, he advised against the creation of a more powerful hydrogen bomb.
Subsequent accusations of Communist sympathies led to the revocation of his security clearance in 1954. This blocked his access to atomic secrets, effectively ending his career.
Nacido en la Ciudad de Nueva York
Durante la 2a Guerra Mundial (1939–45), el físico teórico J. Robert Oppenheimer lideró el ultrasecreto Proyecto Manhattan para desarrollar la bomba atómica, primera arma nuclear del mundo. Luego de que EE.UU. lanzara bombas atómicas en Hiroshima y Nagasaki en agosto de 1945, Japón se rindió y la guerra terminó. Oppenheimer diría después que estas armas “dramatizaron sin piedad el salvajismo y la maldad de la guerra moderna”.
Cuando se publicó una variante de esta fotografía en la revista Fortune, en octubre de 1948, el calce describía a Oppenheimer como “una de las mentes más jóvenes y brillantes surgidas del proyecto de la bomba atómica”. Para entonces era director del Comité Asesor General de la Comisión de Energía Atómica, y alertó contra la creación de una bomba de hidrógeno más potente.
Acusado luego de simpatizar con el comunismo, se le revocaron sus credenciales de seguridad en 1954. Sin poder acceder a los secretos nucleares, su carrera acabó para todos los efectos.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Date
1948
Object number
NPG.91.89.4
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Arnold Newman
Type
Photograph
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image: 32 x 25.7cm (12 5/8 x 10 1/8")
Sheet: 35.4 x 27.7cm (13 15/16 x 10 7/8")
Mat: 55.9 x 40.6cm (22 x 16")
Place
United States\California\Alameda\Berkeley
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition
20th Century Americans: 1930-1960
On View
NPG, South Gallery 321
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Printed Material\Papers
Interior\Office
Equipment\Smoking Implements\Cigarette
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Desk
J. Robert Oppenheimer: Male
J. Robert Oppenheimer: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer
J. Robert Oppenheimer: Science and Technology\Scientist\Physicist
J. Robert Oppenheimer: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Educator\Professor\Physics
J. Robert Oppenheimer: Science awards\Enrico Fermi Award
Portrait
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npg_NPG.91.89.4