Ava DuVernay, Serena And Venus Williams Will Be On Display At The Smithsonian Institution

Ava DuVernay, Venus Williams and Serena Williams.   Source: Steve Granitz; Paul Morigi / Getty

Starting on Nov. 10, breathtaking portraits of Ava DuVernay and Serena and Venus Williams will be on display at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C as part of the institution’s Portrait of a Nation Award.

Each woman had the chance to handpick the artist who would paint their portrait. DuVernay chose Kenturah Davis, who she is a fan of. Venus Williams selected Robert Pruitt after meeting with a list of artists from the curatorial team. Serena Williams picked Nigerian artist Toyin Ojih Odutola.

Source: Kenturah Davis / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Ava DuVernay Wanted Kenturah Davis To Feel ‘Free’

Kenturah Davis is known for embedding words in her artwork that are meaningful to the subject, which DuVernay loves.

“Making a portrait by writing and having that writing saying that something about the nature of that person or of a human encounter deepens the process of making a portrait,” Davis told The New York Times. “The quality of the written line is no different than the quality of a drawn one, except with a written line we’ve assigned meaning to a series of marks.”

In the portrait, DuVernay is standing still but moving in motion. There’s a display of two different emotions as she goes from stoic to fierce. When she met with DuVernay and shared her idea for her portrait, DuVernay wasn’t too sure about it but wanted Davis “to feel free.”

“I was really interested in making a figure in motion and thought it paired well given Ava’s relationship with motion pictures,” Davis said. “I wanted to push myself in a different direction than I’m used to seeing myself.”

DuVernay was more than excited about being chosen for the exhibit.

“I am overjoyed to be chosen as a Portrait of a Nation honoree by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery,” DuVernay said according to The Hollywood Reporter. “To encounter my likeness in those hallowed halls as envisioned by the magnificent Kenturah Davis is a dream that I never knew to dream. A pride that I cannot easily convey but that is deeply and humbly felt.”

Take a look at the making of the portrait below.

Source: robert pruitt / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Serena Williams Left All The Work To Toyin Ojih Odutola

Toyin Ojih Odutola wanted to depict the different facets of Serena Williams in her portrait.

“I thought about her being a mother, a sister, a daughter, and how funny she is,” Ojih Odutola told the Times.

Ojih Odutola met with Williams at her Florida home to take her own reference photos. While the Olympic gold medalist loved the photos, she allowed Ojih Odutola to conceptualize the piece on her own.

“Serena looked at them on the day and liked it, but kind of left it to me.”

In Serena Williams’ portrait, joy exudes from her smile. Davis showed off her chiseled frame beautifully.

“I wanted to show her physique but also show her relaxed,” Ojih Odutola said. “I wanted to show her as a beautiful Black woman.”

Source: Robert Pruitt / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Venus Williams And Robert Pruitt Bonded While Making Her Portrait

In order to conceptualize her portrait, Venus Williams first visited artist Robert Pruitt in his Bronx, New York apartment. They bonded over their love of comic books. For the second stage, Pruitt visited her in Florida with a variety of photos in tow so they can discuss reference.

“I wanted to get a sense of what kind of images of herself she likes and she was very clear, picking a photo she had taken of herself in the mirror,” Pruitt told the New York Times.

Williams’ portrait is totally polarizing from her sister’s. Hers is a double portrait with distinct pieces that symbolize parts of her. When she looks away, she looks like a warrior donned in a Wimbledon trophy dish around her neck as a chest plate in a raffia tennis skirt. In the part of the portrait where she’s front-facing, there’s beads flowing all around her, symbolizing the beads she wore on her braids throughout her career.

“My hope is that the duality of the portrait gives us this sense of a person looking back at themselves, considering where they came from and where they’re going,” he said.

All of the portraits will be on display in the “Portrait of a Nation” exhibit until Oct. 22, 2023.