National Portrait Gallery, London facts for kids
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The National Portrait Gallery entrance in June 2023
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| Established | 1856 |
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| Location | St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE, United Kingdom |
| Collection size | 195,000 portraits |
| Visitors | 1,619,694 (2019) |
| Public transit access |  Charing Cross Charing Cross; Leicester Square; Embankment |
The National Portrait Gallery (often called NPG) is a famous art gallery in London. It holds a huge collection of portraits of important and well-known British people. When it first opened in 1856, it was one of the first public galleries in the world just for portraits!
The gallery moved to its current home near Trafalgar Square in 1896. It's right next to the National Gallery. The NPG also has smaller galleries in other parts of the UK. These are at Beningbrough Hall in Yorkshire and Montacute House in Somerset. The gallery is supported by the UK government.
Contents
Amazing Portrait Collection
The gallery's collection includes portraits of famous British people from history. These pictures are chosen because the person in them is important, not always because the artist is famous. The collection has paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, and even funny caricatures.
One of its most famous pieces is the Chandos portrait of William Shakespeare. It's a very well-known image of the famous playwright. However, some people aren't completely sure if it's really him!
Many portraits are important historical records. For example, there's a group portrait from a meeting in 1604. Some artworks are interesting because they are unusual. This includes a special portrait of Edward VI that looks strange unless you view it from a certain angle. There's also a painting by Branwell Brontë of his famous sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne.
Since 1969, the gallery has also collected portraits of people who are still alive. Besides its historical collection, the NPG shows new art. It also hosts special exhibitions by different artists. Plus, it holds the yearly BP Portrait Prize competition.
History of the Gallery Buildings
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Three important people helped start the National Portrait Gallery. Their busts (sculpted heads) are above the old main entrance. These are Philip Henry Stanhope, 4th Earl Stanhope, Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, and Thomas Carlyle.
It was Lord Stanhope who first suggested the idea in 1846. After a few tries, his idea was accepted in 1856. Queen Victoria approved, and the government gave £2000 to start the gallery. Lord Ellesmere, one of the first leaders, gave the gallery its very first portrait: the Chandos portrait.
For its first 40 years, the gallery moved around London. It started at 29 Great George Street in Westminster. Then it moved to Exhibition Road and later to the Bethnal Green Museum. These places were not ideal.
Finally, a kind person named William Henry Alexander gave a lot of money. The government provided a new site next to the National Gallery. The new building opened on April 4, 1896. It was built with Portland stone.
During the Second World War, the gallery's collections were kept safe at Mentmore Towers.
Modern Gallery Updates
The gallery has had several important updates. The Ondaatje Wing opened in 2000. It has a huge escalator that takes visitors to the oldest portraits, from the Tudor times.
In 2008, the gallery received a very large donation of £5 million.
In 2012, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (now The Princess of Wales), became a special supporter of the gallery. Her own portrait was shown there in 2013.
The gallery closed for a big renovation project called "Inspiring People" from 2020 to 2023. During this time, some portraits were shown in other museums around the UK. The project aimed to show the collection in new ways. It also created new public spaces and a better entrance.
The refurbishment cost £41 million. The main entrance was moved, and it now has three new bronze doors. These doors show 42 portraits of unnamed women, drawn by artist Tracey Emin. The gallery reopened to the public on June 22, 2023.
Exterior Busts of Famous Artists
Besides the busts of the founders, the outside of the original 1896 buildings has stone busts of famous portrait artists and writers. These sculptures were made by Frederick R. Thomas. They show artists like Hans Holbein the Younger, Sir Anthony van Dyck, William Hogarth, and Sir Joshua Reynolds.
Gallery Directors
The National Portrait Gallery has had many directors over the years. They are in charge of the gallery and its collections.
- 1857–1895: Sir George Scharf KCB
- 1895–1909: Sir Lionel Cust KCVO FSA
- 1909–1916: Charles John Holmes
- 1917–1927: James Milner
- 1927–1951: Henry Hake
- 1951–1964: Charles Kingsley Adams
- 1964–1967: David Piper
- 1967–1973: Roy Strong
- 1974–1994: John Hayes
- 1994–2002: Charles Saumarez Smith
- 2002–2015: Sandy Nairne CBE, FSA
- 2015–present: Nicholas Cullinan
Images for kids
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The National Portrait Gallery entrance in June 2023
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The gallery's former main entrance in 2018
