National Portrait Gallery

The Real Tudors

• 12 September 2014 — 1 March 2015 *on now

This special display allows visitors to rediscover the well-known Tudor monarchs through the most complete presentation of their portraiture staged to date.

Works from the Gallery’s Collection are presented alongside exceptional loans and a prized possession of each monarch, as well as recent research undertaken as part of the Making Art in Tudor Britain project, to help visitors understand how and why such images were made. The search for a ‘real’ portrait of Lady Jane Grey in the sixteenth century is also explored through the display of a commemorative portrait of Jane that dates from the Elizabethan period.

Following its London run The Real Tudors: Kings and Queens Rediscovered will form the core of a larger exhibition organised in partnership with Réunion des Musées Nationaux – Grand Palais at the Musée du Luxembourg, Paris, in 2015.

Suitable for

• Any age

Website

http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/realtudors/display.php

Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends

• 12 February — 25 May 2015

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was the greatest portrait painter of his generation. Acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic, he was closely connected to many of the other leading artists, writers, actors and musicians of the time. His portraits of these friends and contemporaries, including Auguste Rodin, Claude Monet and Robert Louis Stevenson, were rarely commissioned and allowed him to create more intimate and experimental works than was possible in his formal portraiture.

This major exhibition of over seventy portraits spans Sargent’s time in London, Paris and Boston as well as his travels in the Italian and English countryside. Important loans from galleries and private collections in Europe and America make this an unmissable opportunity to discover the artist’s most daring, personal and distinctive portraits.

Suitable for

• Family friendly

Admission

Website

http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/sargent/home.php

Wellington: Triumphs, Politics and Passions

• 12 March — 7 June 2015

Wellington: Triumphs, Politics and Passions, the first gallery exhibition devoted to the Duke of Wellington, marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815).

The Duke of Wellington’s long life (1769 –1852) spanned the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Most famous for his military career which culminated with victory over Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo, Wellington later entered politics, serving twice as Prime Minister. The exhibition will explore these aspects of his character as well as his personal life, and illustrate the role of visual culture in creating the hero and the importance of the portrait in Wellington’s own public and private self-representation.

Website

http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2015/wellington-triumphs-politics-and-passions.php

Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon

• 2 July — 18 October 2015

This fascinating photographic exhibition illustrates the life of actress and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993). From her early years as a chorus girl in London’s West End through to her philanthropic work in later life, Portraits of an Icon will celebrate one of the world’s most photographed and recognisable stars.

A selection of more than sixty images will define Hepburn’s iconography, including classic and rarely seen prints from leading twentieth-century photographers such as Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton, Angus McBean, Norman Parkinson and Irving Penn. Alongside these, an array of vintage magazine covers, film stills, and extraordinary archival material will complete her captivating story.

Suitable for

• Family friendly

Admission

Website

http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/hepburn/home.php

The Drawing Room

• 23 February 2015 From 1pm

Drop-in drawing session for disabled visitors. Meet in the Ondaatje Wing Main Hall.

Young People’s Sunday Session: Wear it out

• 1 February 2015 1-4pm *on now

Taking inspiration from Grayson Perry: Who Are You? artists Sadie Lee and Becky Boston will highlight queer identity in the Gallery’s Collection and you will explore identity through textile customisation and costume. Part of LGBT History Month. Communication Support is available upon request.

Gallery Talk: Queer Perspectives

• 5 February 2015 From 7pm

Celebrate LGBT History month with Queer Perspectives resident artist Sadie Lee and special guest discussing works in the Collection which have a personal resonance.

Guest DJ

• 5 February 2015 From 6pm

Take advantage of our late-night exhibition openings and enjoy music and a drink at our pop-up bar.

Lecture Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary

• 5 February 2015 From 1:15pm

Broadcaster and journalist Anita Anand shares the enthralling story of Sophia Duleep Singh, dispossessed princess of the Kingdom of the Sikhs and a god-daughter of Queen Victoria.

Drop-in Drawing

• 6 February 2015 6:30-8:30pm

Meet people and learn to draw at our free and friendly artist-led drawing class in the Gallery.

Live Music Sargent: Portraits of Artists & Friends – Philip Fowke

• 6 February 2015 From 6:30pm

The lauded pianist performs music by close friend of John Singer Sargent, Gabriel Fauré.

Weekend Workshop: Working Photography

• 7 — 8 February 2015 11am-5pm

Take a masterclass with award-winning Guardian photographer Graeme Robertson, currently exhibiting in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2014. This
two-day practical photography workshop offers an insight in to the varied work of a professional photographer.

Admission

Gallery Tour: The Real Tudors

• 12 February 2015 From 7:30pm

Charlotte Bolland, Project Curator for the Gallery’s Making Art in Tudor Britain project, leads a tour of The Real Tudors display.

Resident DJ Eddie Otchere

• 12 February 2015 From 6pm

Let DJ Eddie Otchere get you in the mood for love with a St Valentine inspired set.

Drop-in Drawing

• 13 February 2015 6:30-8:30pm

Love is in the air so come and celebrate the muse and be inspired at our artist-led drawing class.

The Portrait Choir: The Poet, the Lover and the Lunatic

• 13 — 14 February 2015 6:30-7:45pm

Performed in rooms across the second floor of the Gallery, this multi-art performance will combine the music of Elgar and Vaughan Williams with scenes from a number of Shakespeare plays to explore the themes of inspiration and wisdom in the Gallery’s Collection. For this performance The Portrait Choir will be joined by a company of actors and musicians.

Drop-in Family Session: Out of the Shadows

• 15 February 2015 1-4:30pm

In this month’s new Drop-in Family Session we are creating a pop-up photographic studio to dress up, make up stories and explore family portraits. No ticket required. Children must be accompanied.

Suitable for

• Family friendly
• Especially for children

Half Term Activities: Friendship

• 16 — 20 February 2015

A week of half term activities inspired by Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends. During the week there will be a range of ticketed and drop-in activities. For ages 5+.

Suitable for

• 5-6
• 11-13
• 16-17
• 14-15
• 7-10

Young People’s Three-day Workshop: Painterly Portraits

• 17 — 19 February 2015

Join us for an extended painting workshop, inspired by Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends, to refine your sketching and acrylic painting skills. Get advice from the experts and find out more about life drawing with artist Robin-Lee Hall.

Suitable for

• Especially for children

A ‘Paradoxical’ Portrait

• 19 February 2015 From 7pm

When John Singer Sargent painted Robert Louis Stevenson in 1885, his unconventional composition made Stevenson think of ‘a caged maniac’.

Stevenson’s biographer Claire Harman talks about the circumstances under which the painting was made, the friendships it reflected and its capturing of a moment in Stevenson’s life just before his own notable composition of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In partnership with the Royal Society of Literature.

Admission

Guest DJ

• 19 February 2015 From 6pm

Unwind at the pop-up bar and enjoy a themed set.

Young People’s Three-day Workshop

• 19 February 2015 From 5pm

Showcase of artwork produced during the young people’s three-day workshop. All ages welcome.

Suitable for

• Any age

Lecture Behind the Mask: The Life of Vita Sackville-West

• 19 February 2015 From 1:15pm

Aristocrat, literary celebrity, ‘Rose Queen’, devoted wife, lesbian, recluse, iconoclast – Vita Sackville-West was many things, but never straightforward. Biographer Matthew Dennison looks at her extraordinary life.

Drop-in Drawing

• 20 February 2015 6:30-8:30pm

Take inspiration from the portraits on display and sketch in the Gallery in this artist-led session.

Live Music: Adam Brown ‘The A-Train to Argentina’

• 20 February 2015 From 6:30pm

The guitars pre-eminent role in creative expression from the United States is presented alongside the warmth, melodic lyricism and rhythmic interplay of music from Latin America.

Pick up a Pencil

• 21 February 2015 2-4pm

Drop-in drawing session for young people, with the Gallery’s Youth Forum.

Suitable for

• Especially for children
• Family friendly

Weekend Workshop: Sargent’s Sight-Size Technique

• 21 — 22 February 2015 From 11am

Isabella Watling’s portrait in the BP Portrait Award 2014, Gina and Cristiano, showcases her skills in sight-size portraiture in the tradition of Sargent. Spend two days with Isabella, taking inspiration from the exhibition Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends, to create your own work, learning the sight-size technique and working from casts and a life model.

Admission

The Drawing Room

• 23 February 2015 1-3pm

Drop-in drawing session for disabled visitors. Meet in the Ondaatje Wing Main Hall.

Gallery Talk: General Reputations of the First World War

• 26 February 2015 From 7pm

Writer and former officer in the British Army, Allan Mallinson charts the progress of the Great War with reference to the military hierarchy depicted in Sargent’s large group portrait, General Officers of World War I. Interpreted into British Sign Language.

Resident DJ Eddie Otchere

• 26 February 2015 From 6pm

DJ Eddie Otchere blends rare grooves with popular classics to provide a soundtrack to your visit. Portrait of the Day Talks take place every day at 12.00. Check signage on the day or the website for details.

Visualising Portraits: Grayson Perry: Who Are you?

• 26 February 2015 From 2pm

Picture description for visually impaired visitors. This talk explores Grayson Perry’s outlook on contemporary Britain through his new portraits of individuals, families and groups.

Life Drawing Sargent Style

• 27 February 2015 6:30-8:30pm

Taking inspiration from Sargent’s approach, artist Andy Pankhurst, guides you through his style in a series of quick drawings. Through poses of various lengths, you will explore such concepts as proportion and compositional design. Our life drawing sessions take place on the last Friday of every month in the Ondaatje Wing Theatre and provide an opportunity for you to develop your own practice.

Admission

Drop-in Drawing

• 27 February 2015 6:30-8:30pm

Hone your portrait drawing skills at our drop-in class which takes place in the Gallery.

Live Music Gaia Duo: Bach and Bartok

• 27 February 2015 From 6:30pm

Join violinists Piotr Jordan and Flora Curzon in a feast of music from the baroque era and the 20th century.

Art, Conflict & Memory Teachers CPD

• 6 March 2015 9am-4:30pm

A unique cross-site CPD day (starting at the Imperial War Museum London) exploring the themes of truth and memory looking at conflict from the First World War to the present day. Teachers will have the opportunity of working with key speakers to explore questions about memory, representation and the shaping of identity.

Highlights include:
• Exclusive private view of the Imperial War Museum London’s new First World War Galleries before public opening hours and discussion with curator and historian Ian Kikuchi.
• Lucy Wood - Assistant Curator, National Portrait Gallery, considers impact of Sargent’s portrait commission General Officers of World War I (1922).
• Stephen Bourne – Community Historian and author of Black Poppies: Britain's Black Community and the Great War.
• John Johnston – Head of Art and Learning, Goldsmiths, explores his recent work on the United Nations committee on memory and memorial in present day conflicts and the teaching of history in post-conflict nations.
• Workshops at Imperial War Museum London considering their current exhibition Truth and Memory: British Art of the First World War and other artworks.

Admission

Website

http://www.npg.org.uk/learning/schools-and-colleges/cpd#infocus