The Wick List

Viewing The Face Magazine at The National Portrait Gallery

The Wick Culture - Voici Paris, by Stéphane Sednaoui, styled by Babeth Dijan, June 1988. Photo courtesy of Stéphane Sednaoui

Above Voici Paris, by Stéphane Sednaoui, styled by Babeth Dijan, June 1988. Photo courtesy of Stéphane Sednaoui

The Wick Culture - Global Warming TV, photographed and styled by Inez & Vinoodh, September 1994. Photo courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh and The Ravestijn

Above Global Warming TV, photographed and styled by Inez & Vinoodh, September 1994. Photo courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh and The Ravestijn

The Wick Culture - Face Off, by David Sims, January 1988. Photo courtesy of David Sims

Above Face Off, by David Sims, January 1988. Photo courtesy of David Sims

Above Voici Paris, by Stéphane Sednaoui, styled by Babeth Dijan, June 1988. Photo courtesy of Stéphane Sednaoui

Above Global Warming TV, photographed and styled by Inez & Vinoodh, September 1994. Photo courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh and The Ravestijn

Above Face Off, by David Sims, January 1988. Photo courtesy of David Sims

The Face Magazine: Culture Shift

National Portrait Gallery
20 February – 18 May 2025

The Face was a cult British magazine adored by many, published monthly between 1980 and 2004, and revived in 2019. The magazine reached cult status during its original run, known for a groundbreaking mix of fashion, music, photography and forward-thinking approach to culture.

The Face has been celebrated in exhibitions before but this new survey at The National Portrait Gallery is the most significant exploration of the publication’s position in British culture to date, bringing together more than 200 images shot for the magazine’s pages, many of them now iconic.

This exhibition is a soaring journey through the publication’s remarkable, innovative approach and a witness to how and why The Face became such an influence and arbiter of British culture at the time. Look out for photographs by the likes of Corinne Day, David Sims, Elaine Constantine and Sheila Rock, who all helped define The Face, and British visual culture with it.