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Icons exhibit defines ‘American Cool’

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Curators at the National Portrait Gallery studied the uniquely American concept of “cool” and culled 100 photographs of artists of all kinds who embody “cool." Tony Hawk in 1999 is pictured here. Martin Schoeller/National Portrait Gallery
Frank Sinatra, 1956. Herman Leonard/National Portrait Gallery
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Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1986. Dmitri Kasterine/National Portrait Gallery
Debbie Harry, 1978. Robert Mapplethorpe/National Portrait Gallery
Jimi Hendrix, 1967. Linda McCartney/National Portrait Gallery
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James Dean, 1954. Roy Schatt/National Portrait Gallery
Elvis Presley, 1956. Roger Marshutz/National Portrait Gallery
Billie Holiday, 1951. Bob Willoughby/National Portrait Gallery
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Audrey Hepburn, 1955. Philippe Halsman/National Portrait Gallery
Steve McQueen, 1962. William Claxton/National Portrait Gallery
Walt Whitman, c. 1854-1855. Samuel Hollyer/National Portrait Gallery
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Kurt Cobain, undated. Mark Seliger/National Portrait Gallery
Madonna, 1983. Kate Simon/National Portrait Gallery
Miles Davis, 1955. Aram Avakian/National Portrait Gallery
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David Byrne, 1981. Marcia Resnick/National Portrait Gallery
Muddy Waters, 1960. Charles H. Stewart/National Portrait Gallery
Lauren Bacall, 1949. Alfred Eisenstaedt/National Portrait Gallery
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Marlon Brando, 1950. Philippe Halsman/National Portrait Gallery
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The National Portrait Gallery in DC has assembled photos of the country’s 100 most iconic personalities for an exhibit titled “American Cool.”

“So much of what’s written about cool is about ‘what is cool,’ but the more important question is, ‘Who is cool?’ ” co-curator Joel Dinnerstein said.

“ ‘What is cool’ is synonymous with what’s fashionable in the moment. But when you talk about ‘who is cool,’ then you’re talking about impact.”

Dinnerstein, director of American Studies at Tulane University, and Frank Goodyear, co-director of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, spent five years paring down a list of 500 names.

They judged on four criteria: an original, creative vision; a rebellious, generational impact; being visually recognizable; and having a lasting legacy.

“For that permanent and transformative change, I always think of Lenny Bruce,” Dinnerstein said. “We weren’t going back to Bob Hope and George Burns. You’re going to take chances now, and not just do shtick with written jokes.”