Here’s the Chris Christie portrait that cost taxpayers $85,000

PRINCETON — Former Gov Chris Christie unveiled his official portrait, which will soon hang in the Statehouse.

Christie showed his official portrait for the first time at the Morven Museum in Princeton with more than 100 of his former staffers in attendance, plus Senate President Steve Sweeney and current first lady Tammy Murphy, according to NJ.com.

The portrait by Australian artist Paul Newton, with an $85,000 price tag, showed the Republican standing at the lectern he used during press conferences, wearing the same purple tie he worn during his first inaugural in 2011.

Purple is  the color one gets when mixing the colors of blue (Democrats) and red (Republicans). Christie has said he wore the color to show his willingness to work with Democrats.

The governor told NorthJersey.com that he felt "the most in command" when he stood behind the lectern.

The "STTS" on the side of the lectern is an abbreviation "Stronger Than The Storm," the slogan for the advertising campaign in 2013 to show that the Jersey Shore was recovering from the destruction of superstorm Sandy. Christie and his family also appeared in a commercial for the campaign.

The former governor's portrait will be moved to the temporary media center in December while the Statehouse undergoes a $300 million renovation, a controversial project started by Christie in his second term.

The portrait is the most expensive ever for a former New Jersey governor. Democrats Jon Corzine, Richard Codey and Jim McGreevey spent a combined $74,500 for theirs. None served for two terms. The funding came from a $250,000 budget given to outgoing governors by the state.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ