In January 2009, the National Portrait Gallery wrote about Updike and the Alex Katz portrait of him that’s on display in Washington, D.C. and posted it on their facetoface blog.

Readers will recognize the portrait as the one from the October 18, 1982 edition of Time magazine. It’s not exactly breaking news, but members headed for the American Literature Association conference in Washington, D.C. this May might be interested to read up on the painting before visiting the National Portrait Gallery.

And Updike fans who don’t know the story behind the cover might find it fascinating. Time donated the oil-on-canvas, which they had commissioned, to the Gallery. Look for it in the 20th Century Americans exhibition on the third floor. The blog post includes a reprint of an article that Frederick Voss, a former historian at the National Portrait Gallery, wrote about the Updike portrait for the museum’s Profile magazine (Spring 2003).

Here’s a link to the full facetoface blog post: “John Updike: March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009.”