Les Moonves & Julie Chen's Portrait Painted By Margaret Perenchio

A New York Times story on celebrities' portraits reveals that CBS CEO Les Moonves and his wife, "Early Show" anchor and "Big Brother" host Julie Chen recently had their portrait painted by close friend Margaret Rose Perenchio — at Perenchio's request:

Ms. Perenchio used a photograph she had taken when the couple were on vacation with her and her husband in Capri (which also serves as a backdrop for her portrait of her friend Shakira Caine, Michael Caine's wife). Later, in New York, she took more photographs of Ms. Chen with full makeup. "So she'd look glamorous," Ms. Perenchio said. "I didn't feel like she wanted to be completely au naturel." Rather than charging Mr. Moonves her usual fee of about $12,000, she asked him to make a donation to a charity.

The Moonveses' portrait was unveiled in October when Ms. Perenchio opened her gallery, LA Art House, in West Hollywood. The show also included reproductions of some of her celebrity portraits, including a pregnant Ms. Hayek, Ms. Perenchio's neighbor, holding a rose, and Mr. Pavarotti sitting in Central Park. Ms. Perenchio said she understands that being the subject can be difficult for some people, adding that she has two friends who have posed for Julian Schnabel and keep the portraits in storage.

But Mr. Moonves took the portrait home, and said he had none of the angst Mr. Schumacher felt. He hung it in the den off the rose garden in his Beverly Hills home and invited friends over to view it. "We love it," he said. "It looks so right there, in the room where we hang out most.

Read Laura Holson's full article here or view the Moonves/Chen portrait below — and note how Perenchio rebranded the bottle of Pellegrino sparkling water with her name:

Comments

[ptsd6869]

love margaret's work but moonves & chen don't amount to much

[indy girl]

so what.

[jalowe1957]

Just what makes the likes of Les Moovees think that a trophy wife would bring them radience and gravity? It only makes them look like the analogs of pedophiles.

[kolorkin]

this comment is so uncalled for. somebody's bitter.

[lmvd3]

I find it strange that they wouldn't keep this painting to themselves. Not only is it pretty awful, but it's a personal painting by a friend for friends. Why go public with it? Attention-seeking? That's somewhat desperate.

[billyfitz]

who cares.

[lizr]

love her work! I'd be thrilled to have a portrait like that painted, and in Capri of all settings.

Yummy.

[scorpioleidy]

Why is this a story?????? Most people don't even know who they are! Julie's got the biggest head I've ever seen on a wo(man?).

[signwrite]

why are you reading it?

[SpencerCat]

Why does anyone care if Julie Chen and Les Moonves have a portrait of themselves? I don't understand why HuffPo is running this as a story.

Now, if you wanted to run a series of photos documenting Julie's facial surgeries over the years, THAT would be amusing.

[JeffDV50]

Wow, that's quite a picture. Too bad Perenchio couldn't have snuck Bob Iger & Willow Bay into the shot. By the way, did Ms. Perenchio run with with this crowd before she married uber-agent/mogul Jerry?

I've always been a little miffed at the many spots Julie Chen is featured in at CBS - like she's the mascot.

Les seems like a cool guy in his spots on Letterman, but the overexposure of his wife is at best unprofessional.

And this just occurred to me - the number he tried on Howard Stern - completely unfair.

[harriettubman]

It's amazing what some married men will do for the other woman--leave their wives, children to step onto grass they believe is much greener. Ms. Chen knows what she was doing and I want to read about her next move when Moonves is left for someone else.

Moonves, Guiliani, left children behind and a trail of emotional destruction for what? Lust.

[kolorkin]

why are people so quick to judge another's realtionship like they know ALL THE FACTS behind all the events????

can't people just be happy for another??? and just eNJOY the portrait? BE POSITIVE people!!!

[choirgirl]

um, WHO CARES! change the channel if you dont like them. this isnt even newsworthy.

[Mahi Joe]

How egotistical. Ack, patooey!

[pfc1369]

A new level of Hell: Having to stare at that picture for all of eternity.

[JFaye]

I recall an interview right after Les Moonves' divorce and while Julie Chen was still his blushing bride; to make a point she said "Oh, like some bastardly stepchildren." From that day forward I have found nothing attractive about this woman...

When you date a married person, and there are children from that marriage, regardless ... the children came first and come first: And never are they some "bastardly stepchildren."

[Colmore]

I agree. The children must be considered first. This was a "career move" by Chen. She will claw her way up the ladder by any means possible. Moonves should remember that when she "moves on" his children will still be HIS children. Do not ever break that bond, it is not worth it.

[harriettubman]

I agree. They dated for quite a while while Les was still married!!! I wonder how their fairytale will end?

The Moonves have a way of deleting people from their lives. What was the point of removing Rene Syler from the Morning Show? For the Julie Chen show?

[lmvd3]

Rene Syler was the best thing going. Syler was so drop dead gorgeous, and had such fantastic fashion sense, that my guess is that Chen's ego couldn't take it. Chen has to be THE person in charge on that show. Everyone seems nervous around her all the time, and she is SO unlikeable. I can't stomach the show; Maggie is good, but undervalued and never given decent news pieces. But then again, they never do any news on CBS' daily morning show, do they? It's the Julie Chen show...awful.

[CanadianPatriot]

This is one of the cruelest ugly paintings I've ever seen in my life. My Good God!