Dame Anna Wintour
- Artist: Alex Katz
- Date: 2009
- Medium: oil on linen
- Dimensions: 60 in. x 84 in. (1524 mm x 2134 mm) overall
- Portrays: Dame Anna Wintour
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
In this oil on linen canvas, Alex Katz captures the first painted portrait of fashion icon Dame Anna Wintour. The work is generous in size—about 60 by 84 inches—and shows her seated with a calm confidence that matches her reputation as editor‑in‑chief of American Vogue since 1988 and former British Vogue editor. Katz drew on life studies, so the jewelry she wears is rendered with careful detail, each pendant catching light just like a photograph would. In his own words he said, “Painting Anna was like shooting a fish in a barrel. There was no way I could miss it.” The painting feels both intimate and grand, echoing Wintour’s impact on the fashion world.
See it in person
Dame Anna Wintour is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
