Doris Lessing
1 portrait
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Doris Lessing
by Leonard William McComb
oil on canvas, 1999
71 3/4 in. x 50 in. (1822 mm x 1270 mm)
Commissioned with help from the Dame Helen Gardner Bequest, 1999
Primary Collection
NPG 6516
Artistback to top
- Leonard William McComb (1930-2018), Artist. Artist or producer of 6 portraits, Sitter in 4 portraits.
This portraitback to top
McComb produced this portrait over the course of ten sittings at Lessing’s home. He provided the chair but the carpet in the background and the carving of an aardvark (colloquially-named 'anteater' in South Africa) are Lessing’s own.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Smartify image discovery app
- 100 Writers, p. 144
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 378
Subjects & Themesback to top
Events of 1999back to top
Current affairs
Following referendums in 1997, The Scottish Parliament is opened and Welsh Assembly established in 1999. The new Scottish Parliament has the powers to pass legislation and alter tax. The Welsh Assembly currently has less legislative authority but controls a budget for Wales and can amend legislation passed by Westminster.The House of Lords Act removes all but 92 Hereditary Lords from the second chamber.
Art and science
Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman's film, Shakespeare in Love wins the Oscar for Best Picture. The film, starring Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Judi Dench, Geoffrey Rush, and Colin Firth, among other British screen stars, provides a fictitious account of the events that inspired William Shakespeare to write Romeo and Juliet.International
NATO begins a bombing campaign against the government of Yugoslavia following the breakdown of the Rambouillet Accords that attempted to grant Kosovo autonomy within Serbia under NATO administration. After nearly three months of bombing, Slobodan Milosevic agreed to allow a peacekeeping force to enter Kosovo and the province was placed under a United Nations Interim Administration.Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.