A Face to the World: Highlights of the National Portrait Gallery

How does a portrait function? What can it reveal about the identity of an individual, social class or nation? These and other fascinating questions are explorde on this course, based on the collection of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London. Relaunched in 2023 after a major refurbishment of its spaces, the NPG has opened its doors to the public with new displays of its collection. We study a range of artworks spanning the 16th century to the present day, including paintings, sculptures, miniatures, prints, works on paper and new media. We investigate how NPG portraits have been collected, curated and displayed and how artworks resonate with the Collection’s core themes of individual and national identity. How have portraits of men and women shaped British history and culture? How does the understanding of portraiture enrich our engagement with history? How relevant are portraits to a contemporary worldin which we are all now ‘portraitists’ through our use of mobile phones? Featured works include Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger’s famous Ditchley Portrait of Elizabeth I; Joshua Reynolds’ portrait of Omai; Pauline Boty’s stained glass self-portrait; and the monumental female group portrait ‘Work in Progress’ by Pop Art pioneer Jann Haworth and Liberty Blake.