Free means valuable at London’s National Portrait Gallery

[Pelican Press 0]

Free means valuable at London’s National Portrait Gallery

England’s capital may challenge a tourist’s bank balance, but it isn’t short of free things to see and do.

Among its complimentary perks is an exceptional array of galleries and museums, with the majority having a revisitable quality, whether they’re staging new exhibitions or flaunting revamps and expansions.

A case in point is the National Portrait Gallery, which is around the corner from Trafalgar Square yet has been something of a hidden gem, overshadowed by its next-door sibling, the National Gallery.

National Portrait Gallery. Credit: Olivier Hess/Supplied

Showcasing thousands of faces from medieval times to the present day, many from Britain, but several from overseas (including Australia’s Germaine Greer), the NPG is looking splendid after a three-year overhaul, with Kate, Princess of Wales, guest of honour at its reopening. She’s one of the numerous royals portrayed at a gallery that stocks everything from paintings and photographs to sculptures and moving footage (including Sam Taylor-Johnson’s 2004 video of a sleeping David Beckham).

Portraits are also etched into ****** masks, pub signs, sketchbooks and even the doors of the gallery’s new entrance, where modern British artist Tracey Emin has carved 45 bronze-cast female faces.

New doors etched with pieces by Tracey Emin at National Portrait Gallery. Credit: Olivier Hess/Supplied

It’s the gallery’s mix of the traditional and contemporary that helps it appeal to all ages and tastes. Old-fashioned rooms are given over to Tudor monarchs, Georgian aristocrats and Victorian politicians, pioneers, writers and suffragettes.

Other, sleeker spaces celebrate icons of pop-culture, sportsmen and women and campaigners.

There are nods to technology’s grasp on society (in the extended lobby entrance is a sculpture of an anonymous woman staring down at her mobile phone).

National Portrait Gallery. Credit: Gareth Gardner/Supplied

The gallery is increasingly keen to promote inclusivity and social awareness, highlighting those who are “shaping the world today and tomorrow”, including the likes of Malala Yousafzai, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for her ****** for the right of every child to receive an education.

The late Dame Vivian Westwood, a beacon of London’s 1960s counterculture scene, is snapped beside a new generation of “activitists, rebels and punks”.

Another room features portraits, commissioned by King Charles III, of the so-called Windrush Generation, who came to England from the Caribbean after World War II and helped rebuild the nation’s public services, often in the face of ******* hostility.

Spanning two floors is a huge digital screen displaying revolving pieces from the gallery’s vast collection, with different faces popping up. One minute it’s Queen Elizabeth II (with her corgis), the next it’s Oscar Wilde or Marcus Rashford, the soccer player who, as well as scoring goals for Manchester ******* and England, has headed up food ******** campaigns.

New entrance hall at the National Portrait Gallery. Credit: Gareth Gardner/Supplied

You could easily spend the duration of a soccer game (plus extra time and penalties) at this gallery. And if you’re seeking refreshments, the in-house eateries could detain you longer. There’s the Audrey Green cafe on the ground floor of the gallery’s original 1896 building where you can sip your coffee while browsing images of stars from London’s theatre, film, music and dance scenes. For a sit-down meal, head up to the fourth-floor Portrait Restaurant by renowned chef Richard Corrigan. Seasonal dishes from the British Isles are offered with views over Trafalgar Square and beyond.

+ Steve McKenna was a guest of Visit Britain, which has not seen, influenced or approved this story. fact file + The National Portrait Gallery is open daily from 10.30am. Admission is free but donations are welcome. See

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