‘You don’t want a gray-suited portrait, Jack. Let me paint the portrait I know I can paint. Between what people want to see and what you want to show, there is hope, Jack. There is peace. A woman sees things differently…’

In December 1962 Elaine de Kooning is astonished by a summons to Florida, to the ‘Winter White House’, to paint a portrait of President John F Kennedy from life. The idea of an Expressionist artist – a female Expressionist artist – painting an official portrait of a sitting president is completely unprecedented. Both artist and model are aware that the result of this commission will shape the world’s view of them – but neither know Jack will be dead before the extraordinary paintings are completed.

Alexis Zegerman is a former writer-in-residence at Hampstead where her first play Lucky Seven was produced and The Fever Syndrome was a major success in 2022. Her hit play Holy Shit opened the refurbished Kiln Theatre.

Anna Ledwich returns to Hampstead, where her previous credits include Bird Grove, The Urmetazoan, Labyrinth and the Olivier nominated productions of Dry Powder and Four Minutes Twelve Seconds.