Icons from British history and contemporary culture
Founded in 1856, the National Portrait Gallery is home to the largest collection of portraits in the world, featuring works dating from the Middle Ages to the present day. With more than 1,000 portraits on display, visitors can come face-to-face with major figures in the history of Britain, from Elizabeth I and Charles Dickens to the Beatles and David Beckham. Artists range from Hans Holbein to David Hockney and the collection includes works across all media, from painting and sculpture to photography and video.
In 2020-23, the museum closed and undertook a £41 million refurbishment, which extended its gallery space and redressed gender imbalance in its permanent displays, increasing the percentage of portraits of women to 36%. These include three 13ft bronze doors depicting 45 portraits of unnamed women, created by the British artist Tracey Emin. The museum is also home to Sir Joshua Reynolds’ spectacular “Portrait of Mai (Omai)” (1776), which the gallery bought jointly with the Getty Museum in Los Angeles in 2023.
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