Aaron Shikler

Aaron Shikler (born March 18, 1922) is an American artist noted for portraits of American statesmen and celebrities.

Shikler, born in Brooklyn, New York, is noted for his posthumous character study of John F Kennedy, "Oil Portrait of John F. Kennedy", which serves as Kennedy's official White House portrait. He also painted the official White House portraits of first ladies Jacqueline Kennedy and Nancy Reagan. He also painted portraits of the Kennedy childrencite web
title = Davis and Langdale - Aaron Shikler
url=http://www.davisandlangdale.com/Pages/AaronShikler.html
accessdate = 2008-08-04 ] .

Shikler studied at the Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, and at the Hans Hofmann School, New York and is represented in numerous public collections such as The Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the New Britain Museum of American Art, and the National Academy of Design.

Awards and Honors

Aaron Shikler was elected in 1985 a Centennial Fellow of Temple University, in 1965 an Academician of the National Academy of Design and in 1962 an Associate of the National Academy of Design. Shikler received the Louis Comfort Tiffany Award in 1957 and the Thomas B. Clarke Prize in 1958, 1960, and 1961. In 1976, he received the State Department Traveling Grant, a Certificate of Honor at the Tyler School of Art and the Benjamin Altman Prize from the National Academy of Design.

Aaron Shikler's work in media

*In the television series "Futurama", Captain Zapp Brannigan has in his quarters a portrait of himself - akin to that of John F. Kennedy painted by Shikler. [cite episode
title = Love's Labours Lost in Space
episodelink = Love's Labours Lost in Space
series = Futurama
serieslink = Futurama
airdate = 1999-04-13
season = 4
number = 4 ]
*In the film X2, when the character Nightcrawler (comics) is shown in the White House about to attack the president, he is standing in front the Kennedy portrait. His posture mimics the late president's (arms folded, head cast downward), foreboding the assassination attempt to come.

External links

* [http://www.whitehousehistory.org/04/subs_pph/PresidentDetail.aspx?ID=35&imageID=29 Oil Portrait of John F. Kennedy]
* [http://www.davisandlangdale.com/Pages/AaronShikler.html Brief biography at the Davis & Langdale gallery]

References