Beyoncé Portrait To Be Permanently Displayed at Smithsonian

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 02: Beyonce attends the “Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology” Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for People.com)

 

The Atlanta native, photographer Tyler Mitchell, shot the beautiful photos of Beyoncé for Vogue’s 2018 September issue and now, one of the portraits of Beyoncé will be added to the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection. Mitchell became the first African American to shoot a cover for Vogue, with the photos of Beyoncé.

In the issue, Beyoncé expressed, “It’s important to me that I help open doors for younger artists. There are so many cultural and societal barriers to entry that I like to do what I can to level the playing field, to present a different point of view for people who may feel like their voices don’t matter.” The NYU graduate was born and raised in Atlanta, GA. He got his start making skate videos and taking pictures of music, fashion, and youth culture. He was also one of the youngest photographers to have shot a cover of Vogue at age 23. Mitchell told Vogue that the Beyoncé shoot served as an “opportunity for empowerment.” The National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, confirmed that the acquisition of the image has been approved and is in the works, however, there is not set date for when will be exhibited to the public.Either way, we are excited to congratulate one of Atlanta’s own on such a huge accomplishment!

Written by Sarah Mendes