Artists First: Contemporary Perspectives on Portraiture
Exhibition
Newly commissioned works by Helen Cammock, Giana De Dier, Mary Evans, Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Ravelle Pillay, Mary Reid Kelley and Patrick Kelley, Soheila Sokhanvari and Charmaine Watkiss are displayed throughout the building to reclaim untold narratives and connect past and present histories.
Event Info
Date & Time
September 06 - August 02Location
One of the founding principles of the National Portrait Gallery is to collect portraits with a focus on ‘the celebrity of the person represented rather than the merit of the artist’. In a reversal of this approach, Artists First: Contemporary Perspectives on Portraiture foregrounds the artistic vision of nine contemporary artists who were invited to create work in dialogue with the Gallery's permanent Collection.
Newly commissioned works by Helen Cammock, Giana De Dier, Mary Evans, Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Ravelle Pillay, Mary Reid Kelley and Patrick Kelley, Soheila Sokhanvari and Charmaine Watkiss are displayed throughout the building to reclaim untold narratives and connect past and present histories. Presented in a range of media – installation, textile, painting, photomontage, drawing and film – their works place contemporary art at the heart of the Gallery to challenge the roots of portraiture and rethink its potential for today and for the future.
Date & Time: till 2 August 2026
Location: National Portrait Gallery: Entrance Hall, Rooms 5, 9, 14, 16, 17, 22, 27, 29 and 33
Tickets: Free (drop-in event)