Roy Strong is one of the art world’s more colourful characters, so it comes as no surprise that the scholar, who was director of both the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, is the subject of an exhibition at the NPG next month (19 June-31 August). The twist, however, is that Sir Roy takes on the guise of famous historical figures in celebrated paintings (Toulouse Lautrec, Rasputin, President Abraham Lincoln, and Henry VIII are among the luminaries depicted by Strong; we cannot wait to see his take on the portly, hirsute royal). The quirky images were taken by the photographer John Swannell; the NPG display and accompanying book (Sir Portrait: 30 Portraits of Roy Strong by Sir Roy Strong) mark the art world veteran's 80th birthday.