Events and exhibitions calendar
Find out what's on in our current and upcoming exhibitions, displays, events, programmes, workshops and more.
Exhibitions (8)

David Hockney: Drawing from Life
2 November 2023 - 21 January 2024
Floor 0
£21.00 / £23.50
Experience six decades of intimate portraits by acclaimed artist David Hockney, including new works, in this highly-rated exhibition returning after a Covid closure

Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2023
9 November 2023 - 25 February 2024
Floor 2
£8.50 / £9.50
This highly-anticipated exhibition returns to the National Portrait Gallery after three years, showcasing celebrated professionals and emerging artists in one of the world's most important photography competitions.

The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure
22 February - 19 May 2024
£16.00 / £18.00
Explore the Black figure in Western art history with contemporary artists from the African diaspora, curated by Ekow Eshun, highlighting the richness and complexity of Black life.

Francesca Woodman and Julia Margaret Cameron: Portraits to Dream In
21 March - 16 June 2024
£8.50 / £9.50
Experience the creative and imaginative portraiture of influential photographers Francesca Woodman and Julia Margaret Cameron, spanning over a century with 150 vintage prints on display.

Six Lives
20 June - 8 September 2024
Tickets not yet on sale
Historic paintings by Hans Holbein and contemporary photography by Hiroshi Sugimoto meet in our first exhibition of historic portraiture since reopening, presenting a study of the lives and afterlives of the women who married Henry VIII.

Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award 2024
11 July - 27 October 2024
Free entry
The Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award returns to the National Portrait Gallery. Last shown at the Gallery in 2020, the prestigious portrait painting competition showcases the very best in contemporary portraiture.

Francis Bacon Portraits
10 October 2024 - 19 January 2025
Tickets not yet on sale
Featuring works from the 1950s onwards, this exhibition will explore Francis Bacon’s deep connection to portraiture and how he challenged traditional definitions of the genre.

Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2024
14 November 2024 - 23 February 2025
Tickets not yet on sale
Showcasing the work of talented young photographers, gifted amateurs and established professionals, the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize features the very best of contemporary photography.