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Discovering them, in a closet in a house in Banagher, in Ireland, grooved with lines, having been folded for a long time, was M. A. Nicholls, second wife of the widow of Charlotte Brontë. The news was greeted with amazement as it was thought that the portraits of the Brontë sisters had been lost forever. It was March 6, 1914 and the front page of the popular magazine Daily Graphic announced the important news, “The Romantic Discovery of the Lost Brontë Portraits". Along with the article, the illustration of some visitors inspecting the two damaged portraits of the Brontë sisters, hung for the first time at the National Portrait Gallery. The rediscovery of these works, considered long lost, made a great story and the public was wild about it. Both works were painted by Branwell Brontë, brother of Charlotte, Emily and Anne. That of Emily is the only surviving image of a larger group portrait which included the other sisters and Branwell, depicted brandishing a pistol. It was also rather unusual that the museum would buy such damaged portraits and there were many heated arguments over their quality. The first day of their exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, there were so many visitors that, according to the Yorkshire Observer, the museum “suffered a minor siege”. These two paintings are still among the most popular anywhere in all of London.
HansZimmerLive - The Next Level comes to London for two exclusive dates at the O2 Arena: November 30 and December 1, 2025. Here, the Oscar and Grammy-winning composer presents a show that elevates film music to a captivating live experience.
An exhibition celebrates Edwin Austin Abbey, a 19th-century American artist, showcasing his study for the monumental work The Hours created for the Pennsylvania State Capitol.
A carefully selected group of works on paper tells the story of three centuries of British art: from 18th-century portraits to post-war Neo-Romantic visions, the collection donated by Nina Drucker explores a variety of techniques and styles.
With The Erotics of Passage, Jimmy Robert proposes an experience that involves body, object, image and text, in an exhibition path where memory becomes a performative and visual moment that invites the spectator to confront his own perception of time, body and identity.