The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has announced that it is acquiring a Beyoncé portrait for its collection.
The museum is buying the portrait of the “Spirit” singer, featured in the iconic September 2018 edition of Vogue Magazine, with plans for it to eventually go on display.
The portrait’s photographer, Tyler Mitchell, first broke the news in a tweet on Tuesday. With that Vogue cover shoot, Mitchell also made history as the first Black photographer to ever shoot an American Vogue cover.
“A year ago today we broke the flood gates open,” Mitchell wrote. “Now I’m glad to share this picture is being acquired into the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection.”
The National Portrait Gallery confirmed the news with its own tweet: “We’re just so crazy in love with her that we had to do it! We look forward to adding this new work to our collection.”
“Our mission is to tell the story of America by portraying the people who shape this nation’s history, development, and culture,” the gallery tweeted. “We are happy to work with Tyler to acquire his photograph of Beyoncé Knowles into the Portrait Gallery’s collection.”
The National Portrait Gallery already carries a print of the singer‘s first solo album cover, “Dangerously in Love.”
