Sonia Hale’s Commissioned Portrait of the First Female President of the Harvard Club of Boston Unveiled

Sonia Hale, WSA exhibiting member, recently unveiled an important oil portrait commission.

 

The Harvard Club of Boston (Commonwealth Avenue) commissioned Sonia to paint the portrait of Karen Van Winkle, the first female president of the club. This painting is now the second portrait of a female hanging in the club (the first being that of the spouse of a former club member), and it hangs prominently in the downstairs foyer over the fireplace. It is a large painting measuring 52″ tall x 59” wide, designed to custom fit the carved wooden molding over the fireplace. The portrait was received with great fanfare at the unveiling on April 3, 2019. 

 

Sonia began work on the portrait in November 2018. Due to the large scale of the piece she needed to purchase a significantly larger easel to accommodate the weight and size of the painting. She adjusted the color of Karen’s dress to be “crimson,” the official color of Harvard, which Karen welcomed. One of Sonia’s primary goals was to capture Karen’s radiant smile. After working daily all winter, Sonia completed the portrait at the end of February.

 

The Harvard Club is interested in having the paintings on their walls reflect their diverse membership. They are no longer “your grandfather’s Harvard Club,” and as such, are evolving their artwork to usher in this new era. Thanks to Sonia’s beautiful portrait, they have done just that! Congratulations to Sonia for this important accomplishment.