WHAT’S ON
September - November 2013
Welcome
About the Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery is home to the largest
collection of portraits in the world and celebrates the
lives and achievements of those who have influenced
British history, culture and identity.
With over 1,000 portraits on display, and over 107,000
available to view online, the Gallery’s Collection spans
over 500 years from the Middle Ages to the present
day. Sitters range from William Shakespeare through
to Amy Winehouse and the Collection includes work
across all media by artists from Holbein to Hockney.
Audio Visual Guide £3
Available from the Information Desk in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. Featuring interactive maps, short films, exclusive interviews and themed tours. Family Audio Visual Guides are also available, charges apply.
Gallery App £1.19
Available from iTunes. A perfect addition to your visit with video introductions, Collection highlights and floorplans.
Portrait Explorer – Digital Space
Explore the Collection using the interactive touchscreens to create your own tours, watch interviews
with artists and sitters, and discover more about your favourite portraits.
Map Suggested donation £1
Pick up a map to help plan your visit, including ideas for 30 min highlights up to an in-depth two hour exploration.
Visitor Guide £5
Available from the Gallery Shop. Highlights key portraits through high-quality colour reproductions and fascinating stories.
Exhibitions
BP Portrait Award 2013
Until 15 September 2013
Wolfson Gallery
Supported by BP
The BP Portrait Award showcases fifty-five of the
most outstanding and innovative new portraits from
around the world. From informal and personal studies
of friends and family to revealing paintings of famous
faces, the exhibition features a variety of styles and
approaches to the contemporary painted portrait. These include the winner of the £30,000 first prize, Pieter by Suzanne du Toit.
Admission Free
www.npg.org.uk/bp
Exhibition catalogue £9.99 paperback, featuring an essay by Joanna Trollope.
See the Calendar for events linked to this exhibition.
Exhibitions
Laura Knight Portraits
11 July – 13 October 2013
Porter Gallery
Supported by the Laura Knight Portraits Exhibition Supporters Group with additional contribution from the American Friends of the National Portrait Gallery, London
Dame Laura Knight was one of the most popular and pioneering British artists of the twentieth century. This exhibition of over thirty portraits reveals her highly distinctive work, and also reflect her success in gaining greater professional recognition for women in the arts.
See the Calendar for events linked to this exhibition.
Tickets Including Gift Aid: £7 (seniors £6.50/concessions £6)
Seniors £6 every Wednesday.
Standard prices also available.
Free for Members
Book now www.npg.org.uk/lauraknight, call
020 7766 7343 or visit the Gallery in person.
Exhibition catalogue £25 paperback.
Last admission is 45 mins before the Gallery closes.
Exhibitions
Elizabeth I & Her People
10 October 2013 – 5 January 2014
Wolfson Gallery
Supported by The Weiss Gallery
Elizabeth I & Her People explores the remarkable reign of Elizabeth I through the lives and portraiture of her subjects. The Elizabethan period spanned over forty years and saw a significant expansion in trade, the creation of new industries, a rise in the middle classes and the development of a remarkable literary culture.
The exhibition includes many outstanding paintings of Elizabeth I and her courtiers including explorers, and soldiers, and enchanting portraits of her female attendants and maids of honour. Visitors will also come face-to-face with lesser-known Elizabethans including butchers, goldsmiths, brewers, merchants and artists. These will be shown alongside artefacts from this period including exquisite jewellery, books and coins, which give a fascinating glimpse into their way of life.
Tickets Including Gift Aid: £13.50
(seniors £12.50/concs £11.50)
Seniors £11.50 every Wednesday.
Standard prices also available.
Families one/two adults or concessions and up to
four children (aged 12–18) £19/£27
Free for Members and under-12s
Book now www.npg.org.uk/elizabeth, call 020 7766 7344 or visit the Gallery in person.
Exhibition catalogue £30 hardback.
Last admission is 1 hour before the Gallery closes.
Exhibitions
Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013
14 November 2013 – 9 February 2014
Porter Gallery
Sponsored by Taylor Wessing
The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013 is a unique opportunity to see new works by some of the most exciting contemporary portrait photographers from around the world. The selected images, many of which will be on display for the first time, explore a range of themes, styles and approaches, from formal commissioned portraits of public figures to more spontaneous and intimate moments capturing friends and family.
Tickets £3
Free for Members
www.npg.org.uk/photoprize
Exhibition catalogue £15 paperback.
Last admission is 45 mins before the Gallery closes.
Shop
From our Collection to yours
Discover the beautiful range of products inspired by the
Elizabeth I & Her People exhibition, available exclusively
from the Gallery Shops.
Every purchase supports the National Portrait Gallery
Displays
The changing programme of displays provides fresh opportunities to discover the Gallery’s rich and varied collections. The displays highlight a range of themes, sitters and artists, as well as significant anniversaries and acquisitions.
Floor 2
Room 3
Queens and Consorts: Likeness in Life and Death
This display explores the interchange that occurs between painted and sculpted portraits by pairing paintings of four sixteenth-century queens and consorts with electrotype copies of their effigies from the royal tombs in Westminster Abbey.
Until 1 March 2014
Room 11
Ben Okri on Ayuba Suleiman Diallo: A Dialogue Across Time
Ben Okri is one of Britain’s finest writers. Fascinated with
the enigmatic story of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, and his
relevance today, Okri’s new poem is a response to the first portrait of a freed slave in Britain.
From 20 September
Room 16
Treason, Plots and Murder
Print display on seventeenth-century conspiracies from the accession of King James I to the birth of James Francis Edward Stuart.
Until 16 February 2014
Floor 1
Room 24: case display
Characters and Caricatures: Photographs by Herbert Watkins
Portraits from the 1850s including writers Charles Dickens
and Alexandre Dumas, and celebrated performers Adelaide Ristori and Marie Wilton.
Until 17 November
Room 24: case display
Facing Blindness: Visual Impairment in the Nineteenth Century
This display explores portraits of celebrated nineteenth-century blind and visually-impaired people, active in the world of art, travel and politics, including James Holman and Henry Fawcett.
From 18 November
Room 28: case display
Alexander Bassano: Victorian Photographer
Celebrating the life and work of this important photographer who founded his studio in London in the 1850s.
Until 10 November
Room 28: case display
Janey Morris: Pre-Raphaelite Muse
On display for the first time, to mark the centenary of her death, photographs of the legendary Pre-Raphaelite model in old age, with portraits of her family, husband, friends and lovers, including images that Jane herself owned of Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Wilfred Scawen Blunt.
From 12 November
Room 31: case display
French Master Chefs in the 1930s
In the late 1930s, artist Florence Enid Stoddard sketched the French master chefs who worked in some of London’s most exclusive kitchens. Recently acquired by the Gallery, a small group of these lively drawings are shown here for the first time.
From 12 August
Room 31
Francis Goodman: Back in Focus
Marking the centenary of the birth of this photographer whose archive has recently been catalogued.
Until 3 November
Room 31
Benjamin Britten: A Life in Pictures
Celebrating the life of Britten, born 22 November 1913 and one of the most important English composers of the twentieth century.
From 5 November
Room 32
Patrick Heron: Studies for a portrait of T.S. Eliot
Heron’s celebrated portrait of T.S. Eliot is shown with rarely seen studies; illuminating the complex process of depicting one of the twentieth century’s greatest poets.
Until 22 September
Room 32
Derek Boshier: Imaginary Portraits
A selection from 1961 to the present that explores the role of imagination in portraits by Derek Boshier, one of the founders of British Pop Art.
From 28 September
Room 32
Michael Peto Photographs: Mandela to McCartney
Hungarian-born photojournalist and ballet photographer,
Michael Peto is celebrated in this display organised in collaboration with the University of Dundee. His subjects from the 1950s and 1960s include Elizabeth Taylor and
Richard Burton, Iris Murdoch, Nelson Mandela and Rudolph Nureyev.
From 17 September
Room 33
Jacob Epstein: Portrait Sculptor
One of the twentieth century’s leading portrait sculptors, Epstein’s achievement and practice are explored through busts of artists, writers and politicians seen alongside photographs of works in progress in his studio.
Until 24 November
Floor 0
Room 40
Bob Dylan: Face Value
Internationally acclaimed musician and poet, Bob Dylan, introduces us to twelve enigmatic subjects, including Red Flanagan, Skip Sharpe and Ursula Belle. Rendered in pastel these sketches by Dylan offer an intriguing insight into his view of people and characters. Accompanying catalogue with a text by John Elderfield and conversation with Bob Dylan, £25 hardback.
Until 5 January
Room 41 and 41a
Jonathan Yeo Portraits
Jonathan Yeo is perhaps best known for his celebrity subjects and this display will reveal the fascinating range of people who have sat for the artist, all from the life. Sitters have been selected from the world of politics, media and the arts and include Kevin Spacey in role as Richard III, Grayson Perry as Claire and Michael Parkinson.
Until 5 January
Families
Families are welcome at the Gallery all year round. With regular free weekend and holiday activities, events and trails there is plenty on offer.
This autumn families can enjoy the Elizabeth I & Her People exhibition with our new money-saving ticket packages. A free exhibition trail is also available from the Information Desk.
Look out for the new Family Art Hub at our regular weekend and holiday activities – a place for visitors to find out more about Family activities at the Gallery and pick-up free resources.
For a full listing of Family activities at the Gallery please see the Calendar or visit www.npg.org.uk/learning
Young People
DROP-IN DRAWING FOR AGES 14–21
Free monthly drawing sessions on the third Saturday of the month, 14.00–16.00
‘Join us – the Gallery’s Youth Forum – in front of the portraits for these monthly drawing sessions. Use a wide variety of materials and be inspired by the Gallery’s Collection. No need to book, just drop in on the day. To get started, all you have to do is pick up a pencil!’
Want to find out more? Visit npg.org.uk/youngpeople or search ‘National Portrait Gallery Youth Forum’ on Facebook
Check out our drawings on Instagram #PickUpAPencil
Late Shift
Enjoy a mix of art, music, drinks, talks, drawing and history
Every Thursday and Friday
18.00 – 21.00
Admission Free
www.npg.org.uk/lateshift
Late Shift in partnership with FTI Consulting
This autumn Late Shift celebrates the magnificence, fascination and contemporary relevance of Elizabethan England. Taking inspiration from Elizabeth I & Her People we explore fashion, beauty, feminism and power. There will be a host of exciting events to take part in including theatre, live music, art workshops, philosophy salons and discussions.
Expect to be wooed, amazed and mesmerised at the next Late Shift Extra: The Elizabethans Undressed which will take place on Friday 25 October.
A special performance of the play I, Elizabeth for two nights in November uses Elizabeth’s own words to explore issues of desire, marriage, religion and war.
Poet Ben Okri discusses his residency with the Gallery and his creative response to the portrait of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo with curator and historian Gus Casely-Hayford. Enjoy an evening of music and words inspired by Diallo presented by contemporary musician Akala and the Hip Hop Shakespeare Company.
Don’t miss artist Jonathan Yeo talking about his portraiture, fashion historian Becky Conekin launching her latest book Lee Miller in Fashion and Queer Perspectives resident Sadie Lee taking a stroll through the Gallery.
Events Calendar
For further information on all events at the Gallery please visit www.npg.org.uk/events
Places on our free events are allocated on a first come, first served basis and are subject to availability.
Ticket booking
Visit the website, call 020 7306 0055 or visit the Gallery in person.
Lower ticket price for concessions and Gallery Supporters.
Young People’s Events
(14 – 21-year-olds)
To book places in advance please email or call 020 7312 2483.
Family Events
Storytelling No ticket required. Sessions last approximately 45 minutes.
For ages 3+ and their carers.
Family Art Workshops
Free ticket required, available one hour before the event starts on a first come, first served basis. Sessions last approximately 90 minutes.
For ages 5+ and their carers.
Portrait of the Day
A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery’s Collection, check signage on the day for details.
Workshops and Drop-in Drawing
Suitable for all levels, materials are provided.
Lectures are held in the Ondaatje Wing Theatre.
Programme is subject to change; please check the website before visiting.
Friday 1 March
September
Sunday 1 September
12.00 Portrait of the Day
13.00 – 16.00 Sunday Session Scandal
Explore the Scandal ’63 display and take
documentary shots in the Gallery and the local
area. Led by photographers Anthony Luvera and
Laura Pannack.
15.00 Gallery Talk Highlights of the Collection
Join historian Lucinda Hawksley for a look at some
of the most loved portraits in the Gallery.
Thursday 5 September
13.15 Lecture Pauline Boty ‘63
Biographer Adam Smith explores Pop Artist Pauline
Boty’s short life and her painting of the Keeler affair,
Scandal ’63.
18.00 Resident DJ Edward Otchere
A vinyl set inspired by the portraits in the Gallery.
19.00 Lecture Lee Miller in Fashion
Becky Conekin discusses surrealist photographer
Lee Miller’sgroundbreaking work in the world
of fashion, to mark the launch of her new book
Lee Miller in Fashion.
19.30 Gallery Talk BP Portrait Award 2013
Join Kevin M.A. Cunningham, former BP Portrait
Award artist, for a tour of this year’s exhibition.
Friday 6 September
18.30 Live Music Flotilla
A thoughtful and evocative programme with