Nelson Shanks' painting, 'The Four Justices', was unveiled at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery on Monday.
A portrait of the first four female justices of the Supreme Court was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery on Monday. The oil painting of Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan was commissioned by art collectors Annette and Ian Cumming, who have loaned the piece to the Washington D.C.-based museum for three years.
Artist Nelson Shanks took just under eight weeks to complete the portrait, including a very “upbeat” four-hour session with the women, the Washington Post reports. The 9-foot-6 inch by 7-foot-9-inch canvas depicts the foursome wearing traditional robes in a room based upon the Supreme Court Building.
“The scale of this painting speaks to the grand accomplishments made by these four women and the example they set for future generations,” said museum director Kim Sajet.