National Portrait Gallery

26/02/2023

In our , the author and historian Jan Morris is depicted.

Known for her epic trilogy Pax Britannica (1973-78), where Morris wrote about the rise and fall of the British Empire. Her writing style has often been referred to as ‘Portraits of places', with her descriptive language painting each destination's culture, geography and temperament.

Born in 1926, she first came to public attention in 1953 as James Morris, the reporter who climbed 20,000 feet up Everest and broke the news that a British Expedition had conquered the mountain just in time for the Queen’s coronation.

When sitting for this portrait, Morris requested a landscape influenced by all her favourite places, including Wales, Venice, Trieste, Manhattan, and Mount Everest, and for her cat to be included. She describes the siting experience as ‘one of the happiest experiences of my life’.

🎨 Jan Morris by Arturo Di Stefano, 2004-2005 © National Portrait Gallery, London

25/02/2023

Musician George Harrison was born in 1943.

The Beatles guitarist is captured here with Indian sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar, whom Harrison once described as ‘the person who has influenced my life the most’. After meeting in 1966, Shankar became a mentor to Harrison, who, in turn, helped to popularise Shankar’s music with western audiences. This photograph was taken at Harrison’s home, Friar Park, where Shankar’s orchestra was recording and rehearsing before a performance at the Royal Albert Hall. Variant photographs from the shoot feature on the album covers of 'Ravi Shankar’s Music Festival from India' (1976) and 'Collaborations' (2010).

📷 Ravi Shankar; George Harrison by Clive Arrowsmith, 1974 © Clive Arrowsmith

23/02/2023

Like us, you were probably hooked to the screen during her performance in the television drama ‘The English’ last November, where Emily Blunt depicted the ‘perfect’ British Lady 😉

Born in 1983, Emily Blunt made her acting debut on the stage in The Royal Family. Following this, she became known as Emily from Devil Wears Prada and then as Queen Victoria in the 2009 period drama focusing on the Queen’s early life and reign.

Happy Birthday Emily Blunt 🎂

Who from our Collection should the famous actor play next?

📸 Emily Blunt by Jason Bell, 2012 © Jason Bell

22/02/2023

to Dame Julie Walters. From her comedy partnership with Victoria Wood to roles in Educating Rita, Billy Elliot and . Walters has continued to captivate audiences with her brilliant performances – Do you have a favourite? ⭐

📷 by Trevor Leighton © Trevor Leighton / National Portrait Gallery, London

21/02/2023

You might remember him as Professor Snape from Harry Potter, Colonel Brandon from Sense and Sensibility or Hans Gruber from Die Hard.

Alan Rickman was born in 1946.

Winning a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the age of 26, Rickman made it to the stage and never left ❤️ Playing parts in numerous theatre productions and award-winning films, he also turned his hand to directing with the play 'My Name Is Rachel Corrie'.

Featured in a 2006 exhibition called ‘Most People are Other People’, this work gives us a rare insight into those private moments behind his public image, raising questions of self, reality and the performance of everyday life. We think this portrait perfectly depicts the man and the voice.

Which performance of Rickman’s do you love the most? Share your thoughts in our comments.

✏️ Alan Rickman by Stuart Pearson Wright, 2004-2005 © National Portrait Gallery, London

20/02/2023

Our is dancer, choreographer and founder of the pioneering dance company ‘Les Ballets Nègres’, Berto Pasuka.

📷 by Angus McBean © estate of Angus McBean / National Portrait Gallery, London

19/02/2023

In this , this year's LGBTQ+ History Month theme, ‘Behind the Lens’ is demonstrated in full circle. The artist and enigma Andy Warhol takes a portrait of film historian and collector John Kobal.

Kobal was an avid collector of film stills and negatives. His work resulted in the creation of the Kobal Collection, an archive like no other that continues to support new artists. Kobal’s contribution to film studies is seen as pivotal to our understanding of celebrity and its beginnings in Hollywood glamour - a theme that Warhol also explored in his work.



📸 Andy Warhol photographing John Kobal by Unknown photographer, 1986 © reserved; collection National Portrait Gallery, London

18/02/2023

For the People Powered exhibition Ilford Limited: Analogue Stories Redbridge Museum & Heritage Centre, photographer Eddie Otchere, and a group of local young people delved into the Ilford Limited archives. In the process, they uncovered the joy of photographing in analogue and produced new portrait commissions using Ilford film.

Discover their work until 31 March 2023.

Supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund.

📸 Avril Nelson by Eddie Otchere, 2022 © Eddie Otchere

17/02/2023

in 1991, the singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran was born.

Sheeran began to play the guitar and write his own music from a young age. Influences in his style vary, from stories of him combating a speaking impediment by rapping along to Eminem, listening to Bob Dylan, to singing in a local church choir. Clearly, the combination of acoustic, pop, folk and hip-hop was a crowd pleaser, as proven by the success of his first single ‘The A Team’ (2011). Since then, he has enjoyed a string of UK and international chart toppers and has won multiple Ivor Novello, Brit and Grammy awards.

this portrait is on display in our international exhibition ‘Icons and Identities’ at the CHIMEI Museum in Taiwan.

Enjoy our portraits at home with our print-on-demand service – head to our online shop: www.npgshop.org.uk

🎨 Ed Sheeran by Colin Davidson, 2016 © Colin Davidson

15/02/2023

‘Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all’

Polar Explorer Ernest Shackleton was born in 1874.

🎨 by Reginald Grenville Eves © National Portrait Gallery, London

12/02/2023

“The world hid its head in the sands of convention, so that by seeing nothing it might avoid Truth.”

Today’s is of , best known for her novel ‘The Well of Loneliness’.

🎨 by Charles Buchel (Karl August Büchel) © NPG, London

11/02/2023

At the National Portrait Gallery, we pride ourselves in celebrating people and portraits, so tonight’s Brit Awards are the perfect occasion to highlight the artists, bands and creatives in our Collection who have paved the way for British music. Including the likes of Stormzy, Adele, Ed Sheeran and more...

Who do you think is going to win tonight?



📸 Abigail Owuo; Stormzy by Olivia Rose, 2016 © Olivia Rose
📸 Adele by Julian Broad, 2008 © Julian Broad / National Portrait Gallery, London
🎨 Ed Sheeran by Colin Davidson, 2016 © Colin Davidson

09/02/2023

As requested by you, today’s is about the composer, suffragette and writer, Dame Ethel Mary Smyth.

Born in 1858, Smyth, like many young Victorian girls, was home-schooled, along with her five sisters. Inspired by her governess (who studied at Leipzig Conservatory) in 1877, she moved to Leipzig and after a few months, left to study with the composer Heinrich Von Herzogenberg, with his wife Lisl – who became Smyth’s first love.

Smyth lived the rest of her life travelling and creating music. Some of her best-known compositions include Mass in D, The Wreckers and Three Moods of the Sea. Gaining popularity in the years before the First world war, she composed The March of the Women, which became the battle hymn for the suffragette movement. Captured by John Siger Sargent, Smyth sits by the piano in this portrait and sings.

✏️ Dame Ethel Mary Smyth after John Singer Sargent collotype, 1901 © National Portrait Gallery, London

07/02/2023

"There are only two styles of portrait painting: the serious and the smirk..." reflected Miss La Creevy in the classic Nicholas Nickleby. Tell us, what type of sitter would you be?😃😏🙃

🎨 by Daniel Maclise, 1839 © National Portrait Gallery, London

06/02/2023

Born Day in 1665, Queen Anne was the last of the Stuart monarchs, remembered for achieving the union of England and Scotland in 1707.

Anne was the second daughter of King James II and Anne Hyde. The then Princess married Prince George of Denmark in 1683 and succeeded to the throne in 1702, after the death of her brother-in-law William III, and reigned until 1714. Alongside military successes in Europe and the Union of England and Scotland, Queen Anne’s reign is also remembered for establishing the Post Office and the daily newspaper.

🎨 Queen Anne by Sir Godfrey Kneller, circa 1690 © National Portrait Gallery, London

05/02/2023

“It’s discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.”

Today’s features actor, playwright, composer and singer Noël Coward. Painted by Coward's friend Clemence Dane, this work captures the writer looking intensely at an easel midway through a painting lesson with the artist.

⭐Join us throughout as we celebrate the brilliant sitters from our Collection. Tell us, who would you like us to feature?

🎨 by Clemence Dane, before 1939 © National Portrait Gallery, London

04/02/2023

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03/02/2023

Yevonde: Life and Colour is the first exhibition to open as part of our Gallery’s 2023 programme.

It will explore the life and career of the twentieth-century photographer, Yevonde, who pioneered colour photography in the 1930s. Reflecting the growing independence of women at that time, this exhibition will focus on the freedom photography afforded Yevonde, who became an innovator in new techniques, experimenting with solarisation and the Vivex colour process. The display will include new prints and present discoveries, made possible through the research, cataloguing and digitisation of Yevonde’s archive, acquired by the Gallery in 2021.

Supported by the CHANEL Culture Fund, the exhibition builds on Reframing Narratives: Women in Portraiture, a major three- year project that aims to enhance the representation of women in the Gallery’s Collection.

Opens on the 22 June 2023 🙌



📸 Vivien Leigh by Yevonde, 1936 © National Portrait Gallery, London

01/02/2023

Photographed here by the photographer Ben Toms, the singer-songwriter Laura Marling sits on a wooden stage with her legs leaning into the soles of her black loafers. This intimate studio shot was taken in 2011, the same year Marling won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist.

Marling continues to grace our ears with music, her last album exploring the winding narrative of mother and daughter.

Happy Birthday Laura Marling!



📸 Laura Marling by Ben Toms, 2011© Ben Toms

30/01/2023

that Olivia Colman worked as a cleaner before taking to the stage?

Born in Norfolk, Colman eventually trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and has gone on to work extensively in film, television and theatre. She has won multiple BAFTA awards and in 2018, an Academy Award for her performance as Queen Anne in The Favourite (2018). You might also recognise her from her iconic characters in Peep Show (2003-15), Green Wing (2004-6) and Rev (2010-14).

Happy Birthday Olivia Colman!

📸 Olivia Colman by Hana Knizova, 2014 © National Portrait Gallery, London

29/01/2023

Photographed here by Nidhi Handa, Juliette Royer was responsible for filing the patents developed by Ilford Limited, collecting samples from the laboratories and storing them according to whether they were pending or had been approved.

Ilford Limited was always keen to improve its products as the leading black-and-white film manufacturer. In 1973, Juliette, then one of the company’s few black employees, was asked to pose for a test to improve how Ilford films captured darker skin tones. Royer says: ‘I was absolutely petrified. I just remember not wanting to do it because I kept thinking, I don’t like having my photo taken.’

Exhibition open until 12 March 2023 Redbridge Museum.

Monday to Friday, 10am – 8pm and Saturday, 10am – 5pm.

🌠 Read more about the history and people of Ilford Limited via the link : http://ow.ly/GrQT50MBiqE

Supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund

📸 Juliette Royer by Nidhi Handa, 2022 © Nidhi Handa
📸 Photograph of Juliette Royer and her portrait taken by Nidhi Handa on the Opening Night by David Parry, 2022 © David Parry

28/01/2023

Happy Birthday Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill!

Ennis-Hill is one of Britain’s most successful track and field athletes.

Born and raised in Sheffield, she was introduced to athletics by her parents at a young age and has since gone on to win world champion titles and gold medals.

Her many accolades include the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 and a Damehood – awarded the same year. Today Ennis-Hill continues to champion women in sports through commentating for the BBC and running a fitness app specialising in women’s health.

📸 by Bettina von Zwehl, 2010© Bettina von Zwehl

26/01/2023

This week will be your last chance to see two of our National Skills Partnership exhibitions – ‘Past, Present and Future – Welsh Icons’ at Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea and ‘Mirror Mirror’ at The Beaney, Canterbury.

In Swansea, two contemporary photographers are exhibiting their work alongside the National Portrait Gallery's Collection, and in Canterbury, new commissions representing people in the community are on display.

Both are open until 29 January 2023, plan your visit with the link below!

http://ow.ly/ebTM50MATVe

⭐ Funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund.

📸 Dame Sally Davies by Daphne Todd, 2016 © National Portrait Gallery, London.
📸 Richard Burton by Irving Penn, 1950 © National Portrait Gallery, London.

25/01/2023

National Portrait Gallery Reopening Exhibition Programme

We are excited to announce our reopening exhibition programme, highlights include…

⭐ Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm will share, for the first time, an extraordinary archive of rediscovered and never-before-seen photographs taken by Paul McCartney. Shot during the period in which John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were propelled from being the most popular band in Britain to an international cultural phenomenon 📆 28 June – 1 October 2023

⭐ An exploration into the life and career of pioneering twentieth century photographer Yevonde in Yevonde: Life and Colour 📆 22 June – 15 October 2023

⭐David Hockney: Drawing From Life explores the artist’s work over the last six decades through his new portraits and intimate depictions of five sitters: his mother, Celia Birtwell, Gregory Evans, Maurice Payne and the artist himself 📆 2 November 2023 – 21 January 2024

⭐Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize will showcasing work from the most exciting and cutting-edge contemporary photographers, the competition is open to everyone aged 18 and over - from talented amateurs to seasoned professionals 📆 9 November 2023 – 25 February 2024

⭐ The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure curated by Ekow Eshun, this major survey of African diasporic artists working in the UK and America, features portraits by Michael Armitage, Lubaina Himid, Kerry James Marshall, Toyin Ojih Odutola and Amy Sherald (amongst others) 📆 22 February – 19 May 2024

⭐As part of our new programme we are delighted to offer a £5 ticket for our Summer 2023 season of exhibitions, available to all visitors aged 30 and under. Supported by the Principal Partner of the new National Portrait Gallery – Bank of America.

We cannot wait to welcome you back to the Gallery on 22 June 2023. Head to our website to find out more with the link below.

https://www.npg.org.uk/

Thank you to Herbert Smith Freehills, Bank of America, CHANEL Culture Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies and Taylor Wessing.

24/01/2023

‘You will love the stranger who was yourself again.’

A line taken from ‘Love After Love’, a 1976 poem by our inspiration, Derek Walcott. New Year's resolutions can be daunting, so take it easy and be kind to yourself.

️📷 Derek Walcott; Margaret Ruth Walcott by Rollie McKenna, 1969 © Rosalie Thorne McKenna Foundation; Courtesy Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona Foundation

22/01/2023

For our , we thought we ought to celebrate the artists in our collection and inspire portrait painting as a New Year's Resolution worth trying out!

#2023

📸 Verney Lionel Danby Danvers by Howard Coster, 1920s © National Portrait Gallery, London