Calendar

The BP Portrait Award is the most prestigious international exhibition of contemporary portrait painting.

Created in close collaboration with the artist, Elizabeth Peyton: Aire and Angels, explores the development of Peyton’s unique art from the 1990s

This major exhibition is the first-ever to focus on the untold story of the women of Pre-Raphaelite art.

Portraits by some of the most exciting contemporary photographers from around the world.

This major new exhibition will explore the extravagant world of the glamorous and stylish ‘Bright Young Things’ of the twenties and thirties, seen through the eye of renowned British photographer Cecil Beaton.

The first major exhibition devoted to David Hockney’s drawings in over twenty years, David Hockney: Drawing from Life, explores Hockney as a draughtsman from the 1950s to the present by focusing on depictions of himself and a small group of sitters close to him: his muse, Celia Birtwell; his mother, Laura Hockney; and friends, the curator, Gregory Evans, and master printer, Maurice Payne.

Gwen John: Painter; trained at the Slade School, 1895-8, and in Paris at Whistler's Académie Carmen, 1898-9; lived permanently in France after 1903 where she formed a passionate relationship with the sculptor, Rodin, and became acquainted with the leading figures of the artistic avant-garde.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

This major exhibition is the first-ever to focus on the untold story of the women of Pre-Raphaelite art. 160 years after the first pictures were exhibited by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1849, Pre-Raphaelite Sisters, explores the overlooked contribution of twelve women to the Pre-Raphaelite movement.

No need to RSVP, simply bring your Membership card to the entrance of the exhibition for admittance to this Members’ only preview.

Writer and advocate of libertarian beliefs; after a brief career at Cambridge, worked as a University Extension lecturer in northern England; settled at Millthorpe, Derbyshire, 1883, where he combined his literary work with a simple life of gardening and sandal-making. Influenced by Walt Whitman and Socialism

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Only child of a warrior father who defeated the French at Agincourt, Henry VI of the House of Lancaster inherited the crowns of England and France before his first birthday.

Anne is one of the most famous queens in English history, although her reign only lasted for three years, she helped to change the course of history.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

DJ Richard Osborne plays every genre of music within his sets, including pop, jazz, soul, disco and rock and roll, creating sets that correspond to specific temporary exhibitions taking place at the Gallery.

Curator Jan Marsh leads a tour of the major new exhibition, Pre-Raphaelite Sisters.

Join artist Alison Kusner for our popular weekly drawing session in the Gallery.

To mark the 30th anniversary of the BP Portrait Award, Chief Curator Alison Smith talks to past winners, James Lloyd and Ishbel Myerscough, and this year's winner, Charlie Schaffer.

Step back through time with a free highlights tour exploring our collection and building.

Nell Gwyn: Eleanor Gywn, or 'Pretty witty Nell', as Pepys called her, came to London as an orange-seller, and rose to become one of the leading comic actresses of the day, and mistress to the King, Charles II.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Step back through time with a free highlights tour exploring our collection and building.

Born in Mingora, Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai is a human rights activist for female education.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Largely self-taught, Elgar came to prominence in the 1890s with high-profile commissions including the Imperial March for Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee (1897).

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Largely self-taught, Elgar came to prominence in the 1890s with high-profile commissions including the Imperial March for Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee (1897).

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Henry VIII's sixth and last wife was a learned and pious woman, who had a moderating influence on the ageing king.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Philanthropist; daughter of Sir Francis Burdett and heiress of the fortune of her grandfather Thomas Coutts, whose surname she adopted.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

This October half term bring your family and friends to the Gallery for an art extravaganza! Celebrate the world's biggest drawing festival from The Campaign for Drawing with our team of artists and take part in creative activities across the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Take advantage of the Gallery’s late opening and enjoy Eddie’s set and a drink at our pop-up bar.

Curator Lucy Dahlsen leads a tour of Elizabeth Peyton Aire and Angels and explores the development of Peyton’s unique portraiture from the 1990s to the present day.

Join artist Andy Pankhurst for our popular weekly drawing session in the Gallery.

Join artist Grace Adam for a life drawing session that draws inspiration from female artists whose works are currently on display as part of the major exhibition, Pre-Raphaelite Sisters.

Step back through time with a free highlights tour exploring our collection and building.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Step back through time with a free highlights tour exploring our collection and building.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Acknowledging the 100 year anniversary of the formation of the Weimar Republic, artist Sadie Lee leads this weekend painting workshop looking at some of the fascinating styles and subjects that influenced artists of the era.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Gwen John: Painter; trained at the Slade School, 1895-8, and in Paris at Whistler's Académie Carmen, 1898-9; lived permanently in France after 1903 where she formed a passionate relationship with the sculptor, Rodin, and became acquainted with the leading figures of the artistic avant-garde.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

What can self-portraits tell us about how an artist sees themselves? Picture description session.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

DJ Timberlina mixes a range of genres and music from across the ages to reflect the Collection – from spoken word to classical, via jazz, hip-hop, world, prog rock, new wave and contemporary.

Join artist Robin-Lee Hall for our popular weekly drawing session in the Gallery.

Acting students from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama read poems featured in the exhibition Pre-Raphaelite Sisters by poets including Christina Rossetti, Elizabeth Siddal, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Alfred, Lord Tennyson and William Morris. Free with exhibition ticket.

Resident artist Sadie Lee introduces her special guest, Rikki Beadle-Blair MBE.

Curator Jan Marsh, poet Gillian Allnutt, Dr Serena Trowbridge and journalist Alison Flood look at the poetry, art and life of Elizabeth Siddall.

Step back through time with a free highlights tour exploring our collection and building.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Step back through time with a free highlights tour exploring our collection and building.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

The Photographic Portrait Prize has established a reputation for creativity and excellence, with works submitted by a range of photographers. From leading professionals to talented amateurs and the most exciting emerging artists, the competition is open to everyone aged 18 and over from around the world.

No need to RSVP, simply bring your Membership card to the entrance of the exhibition for admittance to this Members’ only preview.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

How did Mary Anne Evans, born in 1819 the daughter of an estate manager in Warwickshire, become 'George Eliot', the new 'unknown' novelist who on arrival on the literary scene in 1859 with her first novel Adam Bede immediately won critical success to rival that of Dickens and Thackeray? 

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Take a tour of the the leading international photographic portrait competition, which celebrates and promotes the very best in contemporary portrait photography from around the world.

Take advantage of the Gallery’s late opening and enjoy Eddie’s set and a drink at our pop-up bar.

Join artist Marc Woodhead for our popular weekly drawing session in the Gallery.

John Wilson leads a tour of the display that marks the bicentenary of the birth of George Eliot, one of Britain's most renowned novelists.

Step back through time with a free highlights tour exploring our collection and building.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Step back through time with a free highlights tour exploring our collection and building.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

To commemorate Remembrance Sunday, join us for a family day of reflection through craft and storytelling activities.

Taking inspiration from the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2019, hone your studio skills in this two day workshop.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Described by Time Out as a "polymath", Ben Osborne is a DJ, writer, musician, award winning creative producer and founder of pioneering music and art collective, Noise of Art.

Join artist Alison Kusner for our popular weekly drawing session in the Gallery.

What does it take for female artists of the past to become famous?

Step back through time with a free highlights tour exploring our collection and building.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Step back through time with a free highlights tour exploring our collection and building.

Take inspiration from the Pre-Raphaelite Sisters exhibition then learn figure-drawing techniques working from a clothed life model. Led by artist Caroline Dorset.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

For the annual Society of Portrait Sculptors Lecture, Martin Jennings discusses public statues illustrated not only with examples of his own work but also with those of his contemporaries and with examples drawn from sculptural history.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Take advantage of the Gallery’s late opening and enjoy Eddie’s set and a drink at our pop-up bar.

Join artist Andy Pankhurst for our popular weekly drawing session in the Gallery.

Novelist Ali Smith delivers the T. Edward Carpenter Lecture on Jane Austen. In partnership with Jane Austen's House Museum.

Step back through time with a free highlights tour exploring our collection and building.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Step back through time with a free highlights tour exploring our collection and building.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Inspired by the major exhibition Pre-Raphaelite Sisters, join portrait artist Robin-Lee Hall for a practical painting workshop focusing on the female artists linked to the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Muses and Lovers - women behind the portraits. Picture description.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

DJ Mr Madam combines a range of musical styles to create his sets.

Photographer Carla van de Puttelaar introduces work from her series Women in the Art World. Followed by book signing.

Join artist Gayna Pelham for our popular weekly drawing session in the Gallery.

Artist Marc Woodhead leads a life drawing session inspired by the major exhibition Pre-Raphaelite Sisters

Step back through time with a free highlights tour exploring our collection and building.

A talk on a chosen portrait in the Gallery's Collection, check signage on the day for details.

Portrait of the Day talks are given by members of the Gallery's Visitor Services Team and last for up to 30 minutes. Talks are subject to change so please call 0207 306 0055 on the day or check signage in the Gallery.

Step back through time with a free highlights tour exploring our collection and building.

Join us for an evening of two must-see exhibitions. View the best of both worlds with portraits by the very best contemporary photographers in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2019 alongside the Pre-Raphaelite heroine’s unseen works.

Please RSVP for this event from 4 November 2019

This display focuses on ‘Popular Portraits’ – representations of named individuals or identifiable characters that would have been owned or seen by a wide cross-section of society. ‘Popular Portraits’ have been part of everyday life from the Anglo-Saxons to the present day, spanning political caricatures to Barbie dolls modelled on royalty and the peoples’ heroes.

This small display examines the Tudor construction of Plantagenet portraits and their legacy in the popular imagination.

This display marks the bicentenary of the Peterloo Massacre, a tragic event which is part of the unfolding story of the development of civil rights and democracy.

This display marks the bicentenary of the birth of George Eliot (1819–80), one of Britain’s most renowned novelists.

Alongside contemporary musicians and politicians, the display includes women photographers, BAME artists and sitters, and members of the LGTBQ community, highlighting the Gallery’s ongoing commitment to represent diversity.

This display celebrates the interlinked history between India and Britain in the early years of the twentieth century.

The National Portrait Gallery has commissioned a major new portrait of designer Sir Jonathan Ive by the photographer Andreas Gursky, supported by Scott Collins in partnership with Outset Contemporary Art Fund. This is the second in a series of three Outset commissions, following on from the first portrait of Malala Yousafzai by the artist Shirin Neshat in 2018. 

COMING HOME sees the Gallery sending portraits of iconic individuals to places they are closely associated with.

COMING HOME sees the Gallery sending portraits of iconic individuals to places they are closely associated with.

The fascinating display will sit alongside narratives and interactives delving into the stories behind the people, their highs and their lows.ociated with.

COMING HOME sees the Gallery sending portraits of iconic individuals to places they are closely associated with.

From David Attenborough and Beatrix Potter to Vivienne Westwood and Joe Strummer, see portraits from the National Portrait Gallery's collection of people who've shaped the way we think or feel about green spaces and nature today.

COMING HOME sees the Gallery sending portraits of iconic individuals to places they are closely associated with.

COMING HOME sees the Gallery sending portraits of iconic individuals to places they are closely associated with.

COMING HOME sees the Gallery sending portraits of iconic individuals to places they are closely associated with.

COMING HOME sees the Gallery sending portraits of iconic individuals to places they are closely associated with.

COMING HOME sees the Gallery sending portraits of iconic individuals to places they are closely associated with.

The BP Portrait Award is the most prestigious international exhibition of contemporary portrait painting.

This major new exhibition will explore the extravagant world of the glamorous and stylish ‘Bright Young Things’ of the twenties and thirties, seen through the eye of renowned British photographer Cecil Beaton.

This major new exhibition will explore the extravagant world of the glamorous and stylish ‘Bright Young Things’ of the twenties and thirties, seen through the eye of renowned British photographer Cecil Beaton.

This landmark exhibition explores the influence of Michael Jackson on some of the leading names in contemporary art, spanning several generations of artists across all media.

An illuminating Path, 1998 by David LaChapelle. Courtesy of the artist. © David LaChapelle (detail)

A major new retrospective of works by leading contemporary artist Cindy Sherman will go on display in Summer 2019.

The first major exhibition devoted to David Hockney’s drawings in over twenty years, David Hockney: Drawing from Life, explores Hockney as a draughtsman from the 1950s to the present by focusing on depictions of himself and a small group of sitters close to him: his muse, Celia Birtwell; his mother, Laura Hockney; and friends, the curator, Gregory Evans, and master printer, Maurice Payne.