Newfields honors former Pres. Carter through historic portrait display

Newfields honors Carter with historic portrait on display

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Newfields on Thursday honored the life and legacy of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter with the posthumous help of an artistic legend.

A screen printed portrait of the president created by the late Andy Warhol will be on display at Newfields from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This will be the first time that the large portrait, dubbed “Jimmy Carter I,” has been shown at the museum. It is edition #42 of 50 portraits made, and is signed by both Carter and Warhol – Carter in ink and Warhol in pencil.  

According to the Andy Warhol Museum, Warhol began making portraits of political figures early in his career. Warhol even visited the White House on at least five occasions for this series.

But according to Newfields, Carter was a Warhol fan.

In August of 1976, Warhol visited Carter’s Peanut Farm in Plains, Georgia, to photograph the then presidential candidate. He then went on to create three series of portraits of the former president. “Jimmy Carter I” was originally designed to raise funds for the presidential campaign and also get young voters excited for the election.

Belinda Tate, executive director at Newfields, says the museum also wants to honor the president’s humanity and his love for arts and nature.

“His values really align with our values.  We’re committed to providing a space at Newfields where we can celebrate creativity, the environment and our shared humanity, and these are all things Jimmy Carter worked toward as well,” Tate said.

Along with the painting on display, guests at Newfields are invited to reflect and share how Carter’s legacy impacted them.  

The showing ends at 4 p.m. Thursday and is free to the public.