Cecil Beaton
The art of the coronation: how iconography of the ceremony has evolved over the centuries
From illuminated manuscripts to theatrically staged photography, the codified image of a crowned monarch has told the story of a rite that mixes religious and pre-Christian practices
Exhibitionspreview
Cecil Beaton’s golden age celebrity snaps go on show in London
The exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery unites 150 images, including rarely exhibited photographs of his sisters Nancy and Baba
In the frameblog
Greta Garbo, the Blitz and getting arrested—Lucian Freud biography throws light on racy early years
From the archive | By George! How Roy Strong acquired admired paintings of Handel and Stubbs in his first year at the National Portrait Gallery
Archives telling the story of Strong’s first years as director of the London museum, released under the 30-year rule, reveal how money was raised for two of the finest 18th-century portraits in its collection