Object Details
Artist
Ross Barron Storey, born 1940
Sitter
Jimmy Connors, born 1952
Exhibition Label
Born East St. Louis, Illinois
When Jimmy Connors burst onto the pro tennis scene in 1972 with brash, bad-boy behavior that led Time magazine to dub him “The Hellion of Tennis,” he quickly shattered the game’s time-honored decorum. His skills with a racket, though, were undeniable. Combining quickness, power, and enormous competitive drive with a double-fisted backhand, devastating ground strokes, and a great service return, Connors became the dominant men’s singles player of the mid-1970s. Only twenty-one when he won his first U.S. Open championship, he would capture a total of five U.S. Open singles titles between 1974 and 1983, along with two Wimbledon singles crowns. Ranked among the world’s top ten players for sixteen years (1973–88), Connors was still competitive at thirty-nine, when he made it to the semifinals of the 1991 U.S. Open.
Nacido en East St. Louis, Illinois
Cuando Jimmy Connors irrumpió en el tenis profesional en 1972, no tardó en echar al suelo el tradicional decoro del deporte con su conducta de niño malcriado, por la cual la revista Time lo apodó el Vándalo del Tenis. Pero su talento con la raqueta era innegable. Combinando rapidez, fuerza y espíritu competitivo con su revés a dos manos, devastador tiro de fondo y gran respuesta al saque, domino la categoría de sencillos masculinos a mediados de la década de 1970. Con solo veintiún años ganó su primer Abierto de EE.UU., donde lograría cinco títulos de sencillos entre 1974 y 1983 junto con dos coronas en Wimbledon. Clasificado entre los 10 mejores tenistas del mundo durante 16 años (1973–88), Connors todavía estaba en forma a los treinta y nueve años, cuando llegó a la semifinal del Abierto de EE.UU. en 1991.
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
1975
Object number
NPG.78.TC856
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Ross Barron Storey
Type
Painting
Medium
Acrylic on canvasboard
Dimensions
Board: 67.6 × 50.2 × 2.5 cm (26 5/8 × 19 3/4 × 1")
Frame: 76.2 × 59.1 × 3.8 cm (30 × 23 1/4 × 1 1/2")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition
American Winners: Athletes and Entertainers Who Shaped the Nation
On View
NPG, West Gallery 240
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Equipment\Sports Equipment\Tennis racket
Jimmy Connors: Male
Jimmy Connors: Arts and Culture\Journalism and Media\Broadcast journalist\Sportscaster
Jimmy Connors: Sports\Athlete\Tennis
Portrait
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npg_NPG.78.TC856