Enrico Caruso Self-Portrait
Medium
Drawing
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Mrs. Lisette Thompson
Accession Number
NPG.72.39
Tags
Art Historical Context
Enrico Caruso, the Italian tenor born in 1873 and renowned as one of the greatest opera singers of his era, stepped away from the spotlight in 1919 to create this charming self-portrait drawing. age 46, just two years before his untimely death in 1921, Caruso captured his own likeness with a playful touch, blending his identities as performer and artist. Best known for electrifying performances in operas like *Pagliacci* and *La Bohème*, and for pioneering phonograph recordings that brought opera to mass audiences, Caruso often doodled caricatures and autographed sketches as personal gifts to ...