At the National Portrait Gallery, a Collection that is Unique in All the World

|
|

171 Knightsbridge, London SW7 1DW +44 (0)207 151 1010

Reservation
At the National Portrait Gallery, a Collection that is Unique in All the World
#BvlgariStories
At the National Portrait Gallery, a Collection that is Unique in All the World
Location: National Portrait Gallery
Address: St. Martin's Pl, Charing Cross, London WC2H 0HE
In the light of a lantern, a young woman traces the profile of her lover on the wall, just before he is about to leave. His father, a potter in Corinth, works these lines into his clay. According to an ancient and fortunate legend, this is the origin of art itself. For thousands of years, before the invention of photography, the painted, sculpted and drawn portrait represented the only means for making distant or deceased people, somehow, become present. Over time, it acquired new functions, highlighting power and prestige, taste and virtue, beauty and emotion. In London, a museum celebrates the art of the portrait with an incredible collection that spans centuries. The National Portrait Gallery is a treasure trove that cannot be matched anywhere else in the world, with eleven-thousand paintings, drawings, sculptures and miniatures, as well as a section dedicated to photography that gathers together over 250.000 images. It is possible to admire masterpieces from Joshua Reynolds, William Hogarts and Andy Warhol, iconic portraits of characters such as Shakespeare and Queen Victoria, photos by masters like Henri Cartier-Bresson or Helmuth Newton, right up to contemporary artist David LaChapelle - a truly remarkable repertoire of faces and characters that tell the very story of Western Civilisation.
Francesca Grego - © 2020 ARTE.it for Bulgari Hotel London

Other articles

Lee Miller, Model with lightbulb, Vogue Studio, London, England, About 1943 | © Lee Miller Archives, England 2024 / All rights reserved / leemiller.co.uk
Lee Miller was one of the most sought-after models of the late 1920s. She quickly moved behind the lens, becoming a leading figure in the avant-garde scenes of New York, Paris, London and Cairo. An exhibition at Tate Britain celebrates her extraordinary career.
Read more
J.M.W. Turner, The Decline of the Carthaginian Empire, 1817, Tate Britain
Marking the 250th anniversary of their births, a landmark exhibition explores the intertwined lives and legacies of Turner and Constable, two of the most important 19th-century British landscape painters.
Read more
Ben Enwonwu, The Dancer (Agbogho Mmuo-Maiden Spirit Mask), 1962, Ben Uri Gallery & Museum | © The Ben Enwonwu Foundation
Paintings, sculptures, textiles and poetry by over 50 artists including Uzo Egonu, El Anatsui, Ladi Kwali and Ben Enwonwu chronicle the achievements of Nigerian artists working before and after the decade of the nation’s independence from British colonial rule in 1960.
Read more
At the British Museum, the precious collection of drawings from the Dutch Master reveal his sensibility for the female form.
Read more