Object Details
Artist
Ernest Hamlin Baker, 1889 - 1975
Sitter
J. Robert Oppenheimer, 22 Apr 1904 - 18 Feb 1967
Exhibition Label
Born New York City
This portrait of J. Robert Oppenheimer appeared on the 1948 Time magazine cover featured in the Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer (2023). The physicist was known as “the father of the atomic bomb.” After the United States dropped nuclear weapons over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, Japan surrendered, ending World War II (1939–45). Oppenheimer later stated that the bombs “dramatized so mercilessly the inhumanity and evil of modern war.”
In 1948, Oppenheimer was 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. During the Red Scare, 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. Upon Oppenheimer’s death, Senator William J. Fulbright urged: “Let us remember not only what his special genius did for us; let us also remember what we did to him.”
Nacido en la ciudad de Nueva York
Este retrato de J. Robert Oppenheimer apareció en una portada de la revista Time de 1948 que figura en la oscarizada película Oppenheimer (2023). El físico se dio a conocer como “el padre de la bomba atómica”. Luego de que EE.UU. usara armas nucleares en Hiroshima y Nagasaki en agosto de 1945, Japón se rindió y terminó la 2a Guerra Mundial (1939–45). Oppenheimer diría luego que las bombas “revelaron sin piedad el salvajismo y la maldad de la guerra moderna”.
En 1948, como director del Comité Asesor General de la Comisión de Energía Atómica, Oppenheimer alertó contra la creación de una bomba de hidrógeno más potente. Durante la ola de pánico a la “amenaza roja”, fue acusado de simpatizar con el comunismo y en 1954 le revocaron sus credenciales de seguridad. Sin poder acceder a los secretos nucleares, su carrera acabó para todos los efectos.
Cuando murió Oppenheimer, el senador William J. Fulbright exhortó a “recordar no solo lo que hizo por nosotros este genio especial, sino lo que nosotros le hicimos a él”.
Collection Description
In 1978, Time magazine donated approximately eight hundred works of original cover art to the National Portrait Gallery. The museum is dedicated to telling the stories of individuals who have shaped the United States, and the Time Collection—featuring prominent international figures and events—enriches our understanding of the United States in a global context.
En 1978, la revista Time donó a la National Portrait Gallery cerca de 800 obras de arte originales creadas para sus portadas. Nuestro museo se dedica a narrar la historia de figuras que han contribuido a forjar el desarrollo de Estados Unidos, y es así que la Colección Time, que incluye retratos de importantes personalidades internacionales, nos ayuda a comprender mejor a nuestra nación en un contexto global.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine
Date
1948
Object number
NPG.78.TC655
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Estate of Ernest Hamlin Baker
Type
Painting
Medium
Gouache and watercolor on illustration board
Dimensions
Board: 24.1 x 21.6cm (9 1/2 x 8 1/2")
Mat: 55.9 x 40.6cm (22 x 16")
Frame: 46.4 x 41.3 x 2.5cm (18 1/4 x 16 1/4 x 1")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Equipment\Blackboard
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Necktie
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.78.TC655