ABOUT THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
Established in 1856, the aim of the National Portrait Gallery London is ‘to promote through the medium of portraits the appreciation and understanding of the men and women who have made and are making British history and culture, and to promote the appreciation and understanding of portraiture in all media’. Founded on the principle that the paintings on display should reflect the status of the sitter, not the artist, the Gallery has collected the likenesses of famous people in British history. Today, the Gallery holds the most extensive collection of portraits in the world, and, as one of the country’s most popular visitor attractions, has received around 1.6 million visits in recent years, prior to temporarily closing for the Inspiring People project.
The project will see a transformed National Portrait Gallery with a comprehensive re-display of the Gallery’s Collection from the Tudors to now, combined with a significant refurbishment of the building, the creation of a new public spaces, a more welcoming visitor entrance and public forecourt and a new state of the art Learning Centre. The Gallery’s Primary Collection of paintings, sculptures, miniatures, drawings, prints and photographs contains some 11,100 portraits. Of these more than 4,150 are paintings, sculptures and miniatures, nearly 60% of which are regularly displayed at the National Portrait Gallery or around the country through a series of national partnerships.
The Gallery is always keen to find new ways to share the Collection through national and international programmes, learning activity and outreach work, as well as through digital activity. Like other national museums, the Gallery is supported both by the government and increasingly by a large number of individuals, companies, trusts and foundations, as well as by the receipts from ticketed exhibitions, retail, catering, and events. The Gallery aims to bring history to life through its extensive display, exhibition, research, learning, outreach, publishing and digital programmes. These allow the Gallery to stimulate debate and to address questions of biography, diversity and fame, which lie at the heart of
issues of identity and impact.
The Gallery strives to be the foremost centre for the study of and research into portraiture, as well as making its work and activities of interest to as wide a range of visitors as possible. Further information about the National Portrait Gallery can be found on our website: http://www.npg.org.uk.
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