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William Stephen Ian Whitelaw, Viscount Whitelaw

5 of 12 portraits by Humphrey Ocean

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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William Stephen Ian Whitelaw, Viscount Whitelaw

by Humphrey Ocean
oil on canvas, 1992
50 in. x 40 in. (1270 mm x 1016 mm)
Commissioned, 1993
Primary Collection
NPG 6223

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This portraitback to top

Humphrey Ocean's portrait of Lord Whitelaw was one of the Gallery's most problematic commissions. The Trustees wanted to commemorate Lord Whitelaw not only as an important source of good advice to Mrs Thatcher when she was Prime Minister but also because he had helped the Gallery valiantly when it was fund-raising for its major development scheme. They selected as artist Humphrey Ocean, who had made his reputation through the Gallery's BP Portrait Award and had subsequently undertaken a number of commissions for the Gallery, including Paul McCartney and Philip Larkin. But when the work was delivered , the Trustees declared 'It's not our Willie!' Indeed it is not. The work shows an old man, who has ceased to hold power in the engine-room of government and looks sad and slightly deflated. It is effective as a portrait, however, precisely because it is an evocation of the consequences of old age.

Linked publicationsback to top

  • Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery: An Illustrated Guide, 2000, p. 228
  • Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery, 1997, p. 228 Read entry

    Humphrey Ocean's portrait of Lord Whitelaw was one of the Gallery's most problematic commissions. The Trustees wanted to commemorate Lord Whitelaw not only as an important source of good advice to Mrs Thatcher when she was Prime Minister, but also because he had helped the Gallery valiantly when it was fund-raising for its major development scheme. They selected the artist Humphrey Ocean, who had made his reputation through the Gallery's BP Portrait Award, and had subsequently undertaken a number of commissions for the Gallery, including Paul McCartney and Philip Larkin. But when the work was delivered, the Trustees declared 'It's not our Willie!' Indeed, it is not. The work shows an old man, who has ceased to hold power in the engine-room of government and looks sad and slightly deflated. But it is effective as a portrait precisely because it is an evocation of the consequences of old age.

  • Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 659

Subjects & Themesback to top

Events of 1992back to top

Current affairs

The Church of England votes narrowly in favour of the ordination of women priests. The first women priests were ordained in 1994, inspiring the popular sitcom The Vicar of Dibley.
John Major is forced to take the pound off the European Exchange Rate Mechanism after Black Wednesday, when currency dealers continued selling sterling despite a dramatic increase in interest rates. The event damaged the Conservative party's reputation irreparably.

Art and science

The long-running sitcom Absolutely Fabulous airs for the first time on the BBC starring Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley as style-obsessed, middle-aged media luvvies Eddy and Patsy. June Whitfield played Eddy's mother, and Julia Sawalha her long-suffering daughter Saffy (or, 'sweetie darling').

International

Members of the European Community sign the Maastricht Treaty leading to the creation of the European Union. The treaty led to the creation of the 'Euro' currency and its policy was based on a 'three pillars structure' concerned with: 1. Community. 2 . Foreign and Security Policy. 3. Criminal Matters.
At a referendum, Bosnia and Herzegovina vote to become a separate state from Yugoslavia. Civil war soon broke out.

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