Happenings National Portrait Gallery 2024 Gala
Attendees at the 2024 Portrait Gala included notable figures such as Tracey Emin, Alexa Chung, Bella Freud, Adot Gak, Maya Jama, Courtney Love, Max Irons, Erdem Moralioglu, Sir Grayson Perry, Marc Quinn, Emma Weymouth, Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Sturridge, and Es Devlin. This fundraising event took place at the National Portrait Gallery in London on Tuesday, 19 March. Co-Chaired by Edward Enninful OBE and Malala Yousafzai, the Gala marked the Gallery’s first event since its reopening in June 2023, following a significant transformation.
The Gala brought together artists, supporters, and friends of the Gallery for an evening aimed at raising funds for its future endeavors. Highlights of the event included a pop-up photography studio featuring renowned photographer Scott Trindle, as well as a private viewing of the Gallery’s spring exhibitions: “The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure” and “Francesca Woodman and Julia Margaret Cameron: Portraits to Dream In,” opening to the public on Thursday, 21 March. A new addition to the Gala was the Gallery’s inaugural After Dinner Party, catering to a new wave of cultural philanthropists, featuring DJ sets by Courtney Love and HALE ZERO. Malala Yousafzai, Co-Chair and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, presented a virtual talk for a school chosen by the highest bidder, in support of the Gallery’s mission. Additionally, esteemed artists and designers contributed artworks and commissions for auction during the event.
Gala attendees had the opportunity to bid on exclusive items such as limited-edition prints and a drawing signed by Tracey Emin, commissions from artist Jonathan Yeo and photographer Zoë Law, a sketching masterclass with architect Jamie Fobert, a tour of the Lucian Freud Archive with Bella Freud, tea and an art collection tour with Sir Paul Smith, and studio tours with Grayson Perry and Tracey Emin.
