Portraits of the former

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...

were painted by the American portrait artist

John Howard Sanden John Howard Sanden (August 6, 1935 – December 24, 2022) was an American portrait artist. Biography Early life Sanden was born in Austin, Texas, on August 6, 1935. He graduated from the Minneapolis School of Art in 1956 with a bachelor of f ...

in 2011 and 2012 respectively. The paintings were unveiled in 2012 in a ceremony at the White House where they presently hang.

Background

Sanden was chosen as the artist after he was mentioned to the Bushes by the Dallas socialites Harold and Annette Simmons at a dinner at the Simmons home. The Simmons had made a $20 million donation to

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

and Sanden had painted Annette's portrait for the university. An aide to George W. Bush invited Sanden to Dallas, where the former President greeted Sanden in a bathrobe as he was not sure what to wear. A gray suit was eventually chosen. Bush's portrait was completed in 2011; its success led his wife Laura to choose Sanden for her own portrait which was completed in 2012. The paintings were commissioned by the

White House Historical Association The White House Historical Association, founded in 1961 through efforts of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, is a private, non-profit organization that works to preserve the history of the White House and make that history more accessible to the pub ...

and were donated to the White House as a gift of the George B. Hartzog, Jr. White House Acquisition Trust. Sanden felt that the hardest part of the portrait was avoiding any appearance of George W. Bush

smirk A smirk is a smile evoking insolence, scorn, or offensive smugness, falling into the category of what Desmond Morris described as Deformed-compliment Signals. A smirk may also be an affected, ingratiating smile, as in Mr Bennet's description of ...

ing, saying in an interview for ''American Artist'' magazine that "The smirk shows up when he doesn't want it, and he tends to mug for the camera, as though he can't help it". A previous portrait artist, Robert Anderson, had also experienced difficulty in capturing Bush's mouth having "been aware of the public consciousness of his smirking. I'd paint the mouth, wipe it off, paint it again, let it set for a couple of days, then decide, 'No, that isn't right either". Bush himself told Anderson that he had frustration with the appearance of his mouth.

''President George Walker Bush''

In his portrait

is depicted in the

Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the President of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is located in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval-shaped room ...

, standing in the center of the room. Bush's right hand is resting on an armchair made by William King, Jr. for the White House in 1818 and part of the Resolute desk can be seen behind the armchair. The 1929 painting ''A Charge to Keep'' by William H. D. Koerner hangs over Bush's right shoulder. The painting had special significance for Bush and was the title of his 1999 memoir.

''Mrs. Laura Welch Bush''

In her portrait

Laura Welch Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...

is standing in the

Green Room In show business, the green room is the space in a theatre or similar venue that functions as a waiting room and lounge for performers before, during, and after a performance or show when they are not engaged on stage. Green rooms typically have ...

of the White House. The room was refurbished in 2007 with her participation. Bush is wearing a gown in midnight blue with her left hand resting on a lyreback armchair attributed to Duncan Phyfe, c.1810. The 1767 portrait of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

David Martin David or Dave Martin may refer to: Entertainment *David Martin (artist) (1737–1797), Scottish painter and engraver *David Stone Martin (1913–1992), American artist *David Martin (poet) (1915–1997), Hungarian-Australian poet and novelist *Dav ...

hangs behind Bush over a neoclassical mantel.

Unveiling

The paintings were unveiled as a pair in the

East Room The East Room is an event and reception room in the Executive Residence, which is a building of the White House complex, the home of the president of the United States. The East Room is the largest room in the Executive Residence; it is used for ...

of the White House on May 31, 2012, in a ceremony attended by both Bushes and President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

and First Lady

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

. A few hundred former members of Bush's staff attended the ceremony. Members of the Bush family that were present included George W. Bush's parents, the former President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

and First Lady

Barbara Bush Barbara Pierce Bush (June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of President George H. W. Bush, and the founder of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. She previously was ...

, and the Bushes daughters

Jenna Jenna is a female given name. In the English-speaking world it is a variation of Jenny, which is itself a diminutive of Jane, Janet, Jennifer and is often used as a name in its own right.Katie Martin-Doyle, ''The Treasury of Baby Names'', Worth Pre ...

and

Barbara Barbara may refer to: People * Barbara (given name) * Barbara (painter) (1915–2002), pseudonym of Olga Biglieri, Italian futurist painter * Barbara (singer) (1930–1997), French singer * Barbara Popović (born 2000), also known mononymously as ...

. Former members of the Bush administration in attendance included the former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy

Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) is an American Republican political consultant, policy advisor, and lobbyist. He was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until his resignation on August 3 ...

, former

United States Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The s ...

Donald H. Rumsfeld, former

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

Colin L. Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021) was an American politician, statesman, diplomat, and United States Army officer who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African ...

, the former

Attorney General of the United States The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

Alberto R. Gonzales Alberto R. Gonzales (born August 4, 1955) is an American lawyer who served as the 80th United States Attorney General, appointed in February 2005 by President George W. Bush, becoming the highest-ranking Hispanic American in executive governmen ...

, the former White House Chief of Staffs Andrew Card and

Josh Bolten Joshua Brewster Bolten (born August 16, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician. Bolten served as the White House Chief of Staff to U.S. President George W. Bush, replacing Andrew Card on April 14, 2006. Previously, he served as the Director o ...

as well as the former Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs

Karen Hughes Karen Parfitt Hughes (born December 27, 1956) is the global vice chair of the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller. She served as the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the U.S. Department of State and as a c ...

, and the former White House Social Secretary Lea Berman. The ''New York Times'' reported that George W. Bush turned to President Obama with a 'look of mock chagrin' and said "Thank you so much for inviting our rowdy friends to my hanging" and for the Obama's feeding of 14 members of the

Bush family The Bush family is an American dynastic family that is prominent in the fields of American politics, news, sports, entertainment, and business. They were the first family of the United States from 1989 to 1993 and again from 2001 to 2009, and w ...

. Laura Bush told Michelle Obama that "nothing makes a house a home like having portraits of its former occupants staring down at you from the walls". At the ceremony President Bush recounted the burning of the White House in 1814 and the saving of

Gilbert Stuart Gilbert Charles Stuart ( Stewart; December 3, 1755 – July 9, 1828) was an American painter from Rhode Island Colony who is widely considered one of America's foremost portraitists. His best-known work is an unfinished portrait of George Washi ...

's portrait of President

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

by First Lady Dolley Madison. President Bush said, "Now Michelle, if anything happens, there's your man," and pointed to his own portrait. Michelle Obama replied "I promise you ... I'm going straight for it." Former President Bush joked that the White House's presidential portrait collection now began and ended with 'George W.' in reference to the portrait of Washington. Bush jokingly told Obama he could "gaze at this portrait and ask, 'What would George do? if Obama was faced with tough decisions during his presidency. George W. Bush praised Sanden's work describing his "fine job with a challenging subject".

References

External links