How your support has helped
Quite simply, the National Portrait Gallery couldn’t fulfil its mission without our community of Members and supporters.
To share our Collection, exhibitions and expertise with the world, we rely on your support.
From acquiring special pieces through our Reframing Narratives: Women in Portraiture project to the transformation of our remarkable building, and bringing our exhibition programme to life, the support you give doesn’t just make a difference, it makes it possible.
Here’s how you’ve helped.
Inspiring People
Inspiring People is the National Portrait Gallery’s biggest ever development since the building in St Martin’s Place opened in 1896. This transformational project included a comprehensive re-display and re-interpretation of the Gallery’s Collection, combined with a complete refurbishment of the building; highlighting original features, creating a new and more welcoming visitor entrance and public forecourt on the building’s North Façade, and enhancing the Gallery’s accessibility.
The Inspiring People project was supported by a major grants from The Blavatnik Family Foundation and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, in addition to major donations from the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Ross Foundation, Mildred and Simon Palley, the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust, the David and Claudia Harding Foundation, Bjorn and Inger Saven, the Law Family Charitable Foundation, the Deborah Loeb Brice Foundation and Art Fund. The National Portrait Gallery is grateful to these visionary supporters, alongside all of our Make History campaign donors, who have made Inspiring People possible.
Inspiring a new generation
Creative Connections
Creative Connections is a pioneering programme which takes our Collection to colleges and galleries across the UK. Through it, art students connect with pieces that might have a relevance to them or their neighbourhood, and find inspiration and insight that can help drive their own work.
The programme is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund with the generous support of Mildred and Simon Palley and additional support from the 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust.
Faces and Places
During the closure of the Gallery for our Inspiring People project, we offered an exciting new Outreach Programme, Faces and Places. The programme enabled primary schools to connect our national Collection of portraits with their local borough, and to explore and discuss identity, representation and history.
The programme is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and Mercers’ Company.
Acquiring important works
Reframing Narratives
In partnership with the CHANEL Culture Fund, Reframing Narratives: Women in Portraiture is a three-year project, which aims to enhance the representation of women in the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection and highlight the often-overlooked stories of individual women who have shaped British history and culture.
The Wellington Appeal
The Wellington Appeal was funded by Members and Patrons along with the Art Fund, The G and K Boyes Charitable Trust, National Heritage Memorial Fund and a Public Appeal. Thanks to all of your generosity, anyone that visits the Gallery will see Sir Thomas Lawrence’s exceptional last portrait of the Duke of Wellington on our wall.
This acquisition was funded by Art Fund, the G and K Boyes Charitable Trust and National Heritage Memorial Fund as well as donations from more than 500 donors across the UK.
Conserving our Collection
Naval Officers of World War I
Funds from our supporters help us care for the historic pieces in our collection. We have restored Stockdale Cope’s Naval Officers of World War I – an important work which had been out of the public eye for decades because of its poor condition. Thanks to you, we have now repaired tears in the canvas, gently cleaned its surface and restored the canvas itself.
Funded by The Cayzer Trust Company Limited, Sir John Fisher Foundation and The Gosling Foundation.
