Sir Norman Rosenthal

1 portrait of Sir Norman Rosenthal

© David Gwinnutt / National Portrait Gallery, London

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Sir Norman Rosenthal

by David Gwinnutt
modern bromide print from original negative, 1981-1982
14 3/4 in. x 10 1/8 in. (375 mm x 257 mm) image size
Purchased, 2016
Photographs Collection
NPG x199667

Sitterback to top

  • Sir Norman Rosenthal (1944-), Curator; Exhibitions Secretary, Royal Academy of Arts. Sitter in 1 portrait.

Artistback to top

  • David Gwinnutt (1961-), Photographer. Artist or producer of 21 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.

This portraitback to top

Gwinnutt met the curator Norman Rosenthal at Planets nightclub in Piccadilly, where he was accompanied by the artists Gilbert & George. Having asked to take his picture, a shoot was arranged in Rosenthal’s flat opposite the Royal Academy, where he served as Exhibitions Secretary. The flat was sparsely furnished with nowhere to sit except the floor, where Rosenthal reclines. While his body appears relaxed, his eyes remain nervous and wary. Gwinnutt recalled, ‘I felt all the time that he was observing me’.

Placesback to top

Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top

Events of 1981back to top

Current affairs

Prince Charles marries Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral. A crowd of 600,000 spectators filled the streets to catch a glimpse of the Royal couple, and 750 million viewers watched the event on television. The iconic moment came when Charles and Diana appeased the crowds by breaking royal protocol and kissing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Art and science

Andrew Lloyd-Webber's musical Cats, based on T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, opens in the West End. The show ran for 21 years.
Brideshead Revisited, the 1945 novel by Evelyn Waugh, is adapted for television by John Mortimer. The lavish production featured an all-star cast of Jeremy Irons, Anthony Andrews, Laurence Olivier, Claire Bloom and John Gielgud, setting the bar high for future TV costume dramas.

International

Pope John Paul II is shot by a Turkish gunman in St Peter's Square in Rome. John Paul was rushed to hospital where he recovered, and Mehmet Ali Agca was caught and sentenced to life imprisonment.
HIV AIDS is identified in five men in Los Angeles.

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