WASHINGTON (WSFA) - A portrait of Montgomery native and iconic Civil Rights attorney Fred Gray will be added to The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.

The oil portrait, by artist Michael Shane Neal, has been acquired by The Smithsonian for its permanent collection in Washington, D.C.

It was commissioned by a group of donors called Friends of Fred Gray, who believe in the historical importance of a painting of Gray and its inclusion in the museum's collection.

Gray is known for representing Rosa Parks after her arrest that ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott, representing the victims of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, and representing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fred Gray was awarded the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 2022. His legal career has spanned more than half a century, serving in the Alabama Legislature and being a minister along the way.

Michael Shane Neal has done over 500 commissioned portraits on display around the world, including one of late Congressman John Lewis, which is also apart of The Smithsonian's permanent collection, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, former President George H.W. Bush, and actor Morgan Freeman.