Object Details
- Artist
- Roberto Montenegro, 1887 - 1968
- Sitter
- Helena Rubinstein, 25 Dec 1870 - 1 Apr 1965
- Exhibition Label
- Born Kraków, Poland
- Helena Rubinstein triumphed in a male-dominated business world, working methodically toward her goals. She first made her reputation through the specialized treatments she offered to women at her exclusive salons, but she amassed her fortune in the 1920s by selling mass-produced cosmetics internationally. Her legendary career paved the way for other entrepreneurial women. Mexican artist Roberto Montenegro here captures her dynamic personality and dramatic flair. He depicts Rubinstein wearing a specially designed necklace made by William Spratling, who created a center for Mexican jewelry in Taxco during the 1930s.
- Rubinstein wrote in her autobiography, “Although I no longer need the added courage that handsome jewelry once gave me (it was not easy being a hardworking woman in a man’s world many years ago), I am aware that the wearing of exotic jewelry has become . . . a mark of my identity.”
- Nacida en Cracovia, Polonia
- Trabajando metódicamente para lograr sus metas, Helena Rubinstein triunfó en un mundo de negocios dominado por hombres. Su fama comenzó con los tratamientos especiales que ofrecía a las clientas de sus exclusivos salones de belleza, pero hizo su gran fortuna en la década de 1920 vendiendo a nivel internacional cosméticos producidos en masa. Su legendaria carrera abrió las puertas a otras mujeres empresarias. El artista mexicano Roberto Montenegro plasma en esta pintura la personalidad dinámica y el estilo teatral de Rubinstein. Aquí luce un collar diseñado para ella por William Spratling, quien estableció un centro de joyería mexicana en Taxco en la década de 1930. En su autobiografía, Rubinstein escribió: “Aunque ya no necesito la valentía adicional que me dieron una vez las joyas (hace años no era fácil ser una mujer emprendedora en un mundo de hombres), soy consciente de que llevar joyas exóticas se ha convertido en . . . un distintivo de mi identidad”.
- Provenance
- The sitter; her foundation; (Sotheby’s), New York; purchased NPG 2011
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- 1941
- Object number
- NPG.2011.141
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Stretcher: 80 x 70.7cm (31 1/2 x 27 13/16")
- Frame: 90.3 x 80.2 x 6cm (35 9/16 x 31 9/16 x 2 3/8")
- Place
- México
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Costume\Jewelry\Necklace
- Costume\Jewelry\Earring
- Costume\Jewelry\Ring
- Costume\Dress Accessory\Scarf
- Helena Rubinstein: Female
- Helena Rubinstein: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer
- Helena Rubinstein: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Business executive
- Helena Rubinstein: Arts and Culture\Visual Arts\Art collector
- Helena Rubinstein: Social Welfare and Reform\Philanthropist
- Helena Rubinstein: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Industrialist\Manufacturer\Cosmetics
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.2011.141
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4c870feaf-c008-4c3a-b92a-e05f8104a983
