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Madonna

4 of 5 portraits of Madonna

Madonna, by Eric Watson, 1984 - NPG x125306 - © Eugene and Willa Watson / National Portrait Gallery, London

© Eugene and Willa Watson / National Portrait Gallery, London

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Madonna

by Eric Watson
selenium-toned bromide print, 1984
11 1/4 in. x 15 1/2 in. (286 mm x 395 mm)
Purchased, 2002
Photographs Collection
NPG x125306

Sitterback to top

Artistback to top

  • Eric Watson (1955-2012), Photographer, director and teacher. Artist of 35 portraits.

Linked publicationsback to top

Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top

  • She Bop (8 July 2003 - 3 November 2003)

Events of 1984back to top

Current affairs

The Provisional IRA bomb the Grand Hotel in Brighton where various politicians, including the Prime Minister, where staying for the annual Conservative Party conference. The bomb killed five people including a conservative MP, but no members of the cabinet. Thatcher began the next session of the conference the following morning at 9.30 as planned saying: 'all attempts to destroy democracy by terrorism will fail.'

Art and science

Dr Alec Jeffreys discovers that patterns in an individual's DNA can be identified and that each person has a unique 'genetic fingerprint'. The technique was soon utilised by forensic scientists to help in criminal investigations, and in order to identify human remains, for paternity testing, and to match organ donors.
Ted Hughes is appointed poet Laureate.

International

Ethiopia suffers severe drought and famine. The Ethiopian government responded by uprooting large numbers of peasants in the worst affected areas and by setting up new villages for the displaced people. However, the planned villages were frequently poorly equipped and many people chose to flee rather than acquiesce with government plans leading to further decline in food production and bringing the total death toll to over 1 million.

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