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Chevalier D’Eon by Thomas Stewart, after Jean Laurent Mosnier, oil on canvas, 1792, NPG 6937

Soldier, spy, celebrity transvestite?

What does it mean to be a hero? Working for a gallery that celebrates individual achievement means that we often come across surprising life stories. For me, however, few are as inspiring as that of the Chevalier D’Eon and it was exciting to work on the acquisition of his portrait for the Collection. In the eighteenth century, homosexuality was punishable by death, there was no understanding of transsexuality and men who dressed in women’s clothing were viciously persecuted. Yet despite such oppression, D’Eon managed to forge two very successful careers: firstly as a man, working as a soldier, diplomat and spy, and then as a woman.…

By Clare Barlow, Assistant Curator

6 Comments

20 February 2013

18th Century

Front cover of Vu, Issue No. 144 (17 December 1930) Private Collection

Man Ray Portraits in print – continuing research and dialogue

One of the many challenges in assembling a major exhibition on such a well-known photographer and artist as Man Ray was how best to share new research and balance the introduction of great, but lesser known works, together with great prints of his most iconic works. Similarly his published work in magazines of the 1920s and 1930s such as Vanity Fair, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar has been examined but I was fascinated to find that no survey to date had looked at in depth as his work published in the great French news weekly VU magazine. What was most exciting was that copies of Vu were still available for purchase in specialised book shops in Paris or through French ebay. Some of these have found their way into the National Portrait Gallery’s exhibition showcases and the accompanying catalogue.…

By Terence Pepper, Curator of Photographs

19 Comments

14 February 2013

T.S. Eliot: Cubist Version by Patrick Heron, 194–8 © The estate of Patrick Heron. All Rights Reserved, DACS, 2013

Installing a new display: Patrick Heron’s portraits of TS Eliot

I am often asked, ‘what is the best part of being a curator?’ This question is difficult to answer because there are so many possible responses. Writing about art comes near the top, as does researching and acquiring new works for the collection. Working with living artists is also enormously exciting and invariably illuminating. However, at this minute I am tempted to say that displaying great works of art is still, after almost thirty years of curating, the biggest thrill. There is something about seeing a painting or a drawing finally taking its place within a long-planned exhibition that constantly surprises. In that moment, familiar images suddenly appear in a different light and become vital.…

By Paul Moorhouse, 20th Century Curator