Capital Portraits: Treasures from Washington Private Collections presents little-known artistic treasures from important Washington area private collections. These portraits by major artists date from the mid-eighteenth century to the present, and they speak to the many reasons that paintings and sculpture continue to represent and capture human likenesses and personalities. Privately collected, commissioned, or inherited, they have seldom, if ever, been seen in a public setting. The catalogue, which accompanies an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from April 1 through September 5, 2011, illustrates the portraits and recounts their histories, including comments by living sitters about having their portraits made.

The tradition of portraiture in Latin America is astonishingly long and rich. For over 2,000 years, portraits have been used to preserve the memory of the deceased, bolster the social standing of the aristocracy, mark the deeds of the mighty, advance the careers of politicians, record rites of passage, and mock symbols of the status quo. This beautiful and wide-ranging book-the first to explore the tradition of portraiture in Latin America from pre-Columbian times to the present day-features some 200 works from fifteen countries. Retratos (Portraits) presents an engaging variety of works by such well-known figures as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Fernando Botero, and Jose Campeche as well as stunning examples by anonymous and obscure artists. Distinguished contributors discuss the significance of portraits in ancient Mayan civilizations, in the world of colonial Iberians, in the political struggles of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and in a remarkable range of other times and locations. With a wealth of informative details and exquisite color illustrations, Retratos invites readers to appreciate Latin American portraits and their many meanings as never before.