Scottish National Portrait Gallery

By the close of the seventeenth century the monarchy, church and parliament had all changed drastically.


These complex changes had important cultural consequences. With religious painting no longer acceptable, there was an increase in demand for secular art forms, portraiture in particular. This coincided with a growing merchant and professional class beginning to commission works of art to display their increased ambition and economic strength.

Painted portraits were expensive, and those who acquired them came from the wealthiest levels of society, both old and new. These men and women used portraits to assert ideas of social status as well as to record an individual likeness. Their images played a significant role in the struggles for power, identity and nationhood during this period.

Suitable for

• Any age

Admission

Free.

Website

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/exhibitions/reformation-to-revolution/#.UFwkt64gzcs

Celebrated as the centre of classical and modern European civilisation, Italy held many attractions for eighteenth-century Scots. Artists and architects came to study its matchless heritage. Wealthy aristocrats refined their minds and manners in a world of glamour and learning. A motley crowd of adventurers and loyalists pinned their hopes on the exiled Stuart court. Dealers and entrepreneurs, meanwhile, exploited a seemingly endless supply of artistic treasures. Featuring stunning artworks from across the National Galleries of Scotland, this exhibition explores the Scottish experience of Italy in the eighteenth-century, the period when fascination with the country reached its height.

Suitable for

• Family friendly

Website

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/on-now-coming-soon/scots-in-ltaly

Wealthy, influential and politically savvy the Tweeddale family was at the heart of Scottish society in the second half of the seventeenth century. At the head of the family was John Hay (1626 – 1697), 2nd Earl and later 1st Marquess of Tweeddale.

Tweeddale's marriage to Lady Jean Scott (1629-1688), second daughter of the Borders landowner Walter Scott, 1st Earl of Buccleuch, brought him wealth, opportunity, and a large family - the couple had several children. Members of the Tweeddale dynasty married into some of the most noble families in Scotland and England.

The highlight of the exhibition is the fascinating group portrait of the Marquess and his family, attributed to the Flemish artist Sir John Baptiste de Medina, which was painted around 1695.

While several members of the Tweeddale family are acknowledged for their contribution to politics, the military and for their strategic marriage matches, their role as patrons of the arts and architecture is often overlooked. The family were enthusiastic art collectors who commissioned portraits and landscapes by established and little-known artists, particularly those of Dutch, Flemish and German origin including, Sir Anthony van Dyck, Sir Peter Lely, Gerard Soest and Sir John Baptiste de Medina. Paintings by these artists feature in the exhibition.

Suitable for

• Family friendly

Website

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/on-now-coming-soon/the-tweeddales/

The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize is the leading competition to celebrate and promote the very best in contemporary portrait photography from around the world.

The selected images explore both traditional and contemporary approaches to the photographic portrait whilst capturing a range of characters, moods and locations. Alongside informal images of friends and family, this year’s exhibition also features revealing portraits of famous faces, including actor Benedict Cumberbatch and the President of the United States Barack Obama with First Lady Michelle Obama.

Also included as part of the new In Focus display within the exhibition is recent work by the award-winning South African photographer Pieter Hugo. The In Focus feature is an annual showcase for new work by an internationally renowned photographer, which is exhibited alongside the photographs selected for the competition.

Suitable for

• Family friendly

Website

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/on-now-coming-soon/taylor-wessing-photographic-portrait-prize-2015/

The self-portrait occupies a core place in the history of European art. Ever since the Renaissance, and in some cases even earlier, artists have self-consciously created images of themselves. This exhibition presents an exciting selection of portraits, in various media spanning six centuries, from Rembrandt to Ai Weiwei’s instagram posts. The topic is more relevant than ever, as social media thrives on self-portraits and the continual presentation of self.

This exhibition reflects the early self-assurance of the Renaissance artist, the magnificent spectacle of the self in the Baroque, the sentimental subjectivity in Romantic self-portraiture, the unsparing view of the self in modern art, and finally the obsessive questioning of the self in the era of photography and video.

The exhibits (around 139 in total) will range in date from the sixteenth century to the present day. Artists represented include: Simon Vouet, Rembrandt, Hyacinthe Rigaud, David Wilkie, David Octavius Hill, Edvard Munch, Henri Matisse, Oskar Kokoschka, Andy Warhol, Marina Abramovich, Tracey Emin, John Coplans, Ken Currie and Alison Watt.

Admission

£9 (£7)

Website

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/on-now-coming-soon/facing-the-world/