Portraits, Inc.
by artist Liz Lindstrom
Founded in 1942, Portraits, Inc. is the oldest and largest firm of its kind. Their qualified team of nationwide associates assists families, corporations, and institutions who wish to honor individual legacies with fine art portraits. When you choose to work with Portraits, Inc., you gain access to their curated collection of today’s foremost portrait artists who represent an extensive range of styles, mediums, and price points.
Portraits, Inc. offers a wide range of benefits to their clients, at no extra cost, including the handling of all logistics and informed guidance throughout the entire commission process. From selecting the artist who best matches your vision to providing framing and lighting recommendations, they ensure a seamless and successful portrait experience resulting in timeless legacies for generations to enjoy.
by artist Teresa Mattos
In Her Words...read on to learn more from Bebe Barnard, President of Portraits, Inc.!
How did Portraits, Inc. get started? Can you share some of your background?
Portraits, Inc. was founded in 1942 in New York by Lois Shaw. A true pioneer in the exclusive representation of fine portrait artists, Portraits, Inc. firmly established its position as the world's most esteemed portrait company. For more than 75 years, our clients have included the foremost names in business, politics, and academia. With our corporate office in Birmingham, galleries in New York City and Flat Rock, and dozens of associates across the nation representing over 100 artists, we are proud to continue our long tradition of providing art that lasts a lifetime. With my mother, Beverly McNeil, as an owner, I started my path in the portrait world at a young age. I began with answering phones in the home office and going to portrait home shows with my mom around the South, later becoming a sales associate in California, Oklahoma, and Alabama, before finally moving back to Birmingham to work in the corporate office as Commissions Manger and now President. It's really special to continue to work with artists and associates whom I've known since I was a child.
by artist Jennifer Welty
What do you love most about the portrait business?
We love everything about the portrait business, from establishing the initial client-artist relationships all the way to delivery day when the client sees the completed portrait in person for the first time. For parents wanting to capture a moment in their child's life on canvas; for boards of directors honoring a member of their corporation, university, or hospital; or for spouses expressing their love through art, the moment the ideas and imaginations become real is always so gratifying. There truly is something special about a portrait that cannot be realized in other forms, that reaches deeply into the subject's soul. It is a true privilege to be able to share these moments with our clients.
by artist Grace DeVito
What are the three most important factors to consider when choosing an artist to create a portrait?
Style, budget, and personality. We have carefully curated our roster of portrait artists over many years to ensure that we can provide the very best quality and personalized experience for each client. The critical first step is identifying a style that speaks to the client. Our artists' styles range from incredibly life like to extremely impressionistic and, though the classic medium for a portrait is oil, we also have artists who work in pastel, charcoal, watercolor, and other mediums. Once a client has decided on a style, our associates work with them to find artists who can provide the product they want while staying within their budget. Portraits, Inc. prides itself on the wide range in our artists' catalogs in terms of both style and price. The final critical piece is personality. It is so important that the artist, the client, and the portrait subject have a good relationship. This ensures that the artist can understand and meet the needs of the client, and that the artist can truly capture the personality of the subject in a portrait that will be cherished for many lifetimes.
Portraits, Inc. services clients nationwide through their extensive network of sales associates and has gallery locations in Birmingham, AL, New York, NY, and Flat Rock, NC.