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The Gallery holds the most extensive collection of portraits in the world. Search over 215,000 works, 150,000 of which are illustrated from the 16th Century to the present day.

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Cindy Sherman

Sherman is famous for her use of make-up, costumes, props and prosthetics to create complex and ambiguous photographic images. She invents fictitious characters, photographing herself in imaginary situations, inhabiting a world of pure appearance.…

By National Portrait Gallery,

20 June 2019

Conserving the Frame for Jonathan Swift by Rupert Barber

This eighteenth-century framed portrait was acquired by the Gallery in 2013. The overall condition and visual appearance of the frame at the time of acquisition were poor due to several deteriorated restorations.…

By Claire Irvine, Frame Conservator

14 May 2019

The First World War through a woman’s lens: Olive Edis and Madame Yevonde

This has been a year of significant anniversaries: 11 November 2018 marks the centenary of the end of the First World War and on 6 February this year Britain celebrated 100 years since the Representation of the People Act granted some women the right to vote. The coming-together of these two anniversaries offers an opportunity to reflect on the part played by two professional women photographers in the First World War: Madame Yevonde and Olive Edis, whose high-profile work is held in the National Portrait Gallery’s collection. …

By George Mind, Collaborative Doctoral Partnership Student, Photographs

06 November 2018

Malala Yousafzai by Shirin Neshat

Malala

We are delighted to welcome into the collection a portrait of girls’ education activist Malala Yousafzai by acclaimed Iranian-born artist and filmmaker, Shirin Neshat.…

By National Portrait Gallery,

03 October 2018

Frank Norman with five actors, including Dudley Sutton, rehearsing 'Fings ain't wot they used t'be'

Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be

Can you help us complete the Who’s Who in this photograph by Ida Kar?…

By National Portrait Gallery,

19 September 2018

Todd Gray

Todd Gray: Michael Jackson’s official photographer

We caught up with the artist Todd Gray to talk about the artwork he created for Michael Jackson: On the Wall, and his time spent with Michael Jackson as the singer's official photographer.…

By National Portrait Gallery,

04 September 2018