At the National Portrait Gallery, we tell the story of Britain through portraits, using art to bring history to life and explore living today.
We look after the world’s greatest collection of portraits. Spanning six centuries, our artworks reveal the inspiring and sometimes surprising personal stories that have shaped, and continue to shape a nation - from global icons to local champions, national treasures to unsung heroes.
Discover videos including sitter and artist interviews, behind the scenes stories, and insights from curators.
The Misidentification of Katherine Parr | National Portrait Gallery 1715PM 20.5.22 i've gone to great efforts to distance myself from generations of of folk who are nothing to do with me... to no avail.
Explore the new female self-portraits in our Collection | National Portrait Gallery 1206PM 11.3.22 I NEED TO SHOOT SOME PORTAITS...THERE'S ONLY SO MANY PICTURE OF MOTHER ONE CAN SHOOT...
David Harriman has really interesting things to say and a wonderful voice in which to say it. I love the highlighted quote above and particularly agree with his comments about David by Katya Ilina
Often the first question that comes to mind when looking at a portrait is, What is the subject really like? When this person isn't posing - presenting an image they (and/or the photographer) wants us to see - what would be the result? More realistic or less? Would we have a more interesting image, more honest if you like, if we saw the overweight model wearing the clothes he arrived in? Or eating his lunch, unaware the person at the table next to him was taking a snap-shot? Posing is by definition a mask isn't it... pretending?
An acknowledgement of the trauma that these human beings (indigenous women of australia) has got to be an ethical thing to do. It's a start on the part of white people in australia to open their eyes to the holocaust (in the proper sense of the term) that the indigenous people of australia suffered - and continue to suffer. Kudos to the photographer. (NZ)
