Viewing National Portrait Gallery reopening

In case you’ve missed it, The National Portrait Gallery has officially reopened following a three-year closure. With it they have unveiled ‘The Doors’ 2023, a series of engraved bronze doors by Tracey Emin featuring 45 female faces in Emin’s signature style, which celebrate women from history. The most significant revamp since 1896, the gallery aims for a more diverse representation in one of the world’s most signification portraiture collections, including new acquisitions such as Sir Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Mai (Omai)’ and Everlyn Nicodemus’ self-portrait, the first portrait painted black female.

Bringing historical and contemporary trailblazing female figures to the fore, the reopening of NPG was the first chance to witness ‘Reframing Narratives: Women in Portraiture.’ In partnership with CHANEL Culture Fund and led by curator and previous Monday Muse, Flavia Frigeri, the project delves into the gallery’s collection to unearth hidden narratives while acquiring and commissioning portraits of females who have and are shaping history.

This Saturday, 24 June 2023, NPG will launch its First Look Festival, a series of curator talks, workshops and in-conversations with cultural figures like Paul McCartney and Stanley Tucci. They will also unveil its line-up of major exhibitions for the 2023-24 season. Among them are ‘Yevonde: Life and Colour’ (22 June – 15 October), an exhibition showcasing the captivating work of Yevonde Middleton, and ‘Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm’ (28 June – 1 October), a display of the legendary Beatles icon’s previously unseen photography.