Portraits

Portraits

I commissioned an artist for the first time: here's what it taught me about what it really means to be a ‘collector’

The experience of working with Antonia Caicedo Holguin bestowed more on me than a lofty—and often far too exclusive—title ever could

Diaryblog

(Another) royal portrait unveiled—Kate Middleton cover image goes viral

Polarising Tatler cover image of the Princess of Wales was created by Hannah Uzor

Diaryblog

A royal in red—King Charles III portrait unveiled

The work by Jonathan Yeo shows Charles wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards

Ewa Juszkiewicz’s Venice exhibition brings together five years of faceless portraits

The show at the Palazzo Cavanis includes 15 works in which the Polish artist uses the device of concealment to critique historical depictions of women

US National Portrait Gallery unveils painting of Oprah Winfrey

The portrait, showing the influential media personality in a striking purple dress, was painted by Chicago artist Shawn Michael Warren

Former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter's portrait goes on view at National Portrait Gallery

The pastel double-portrait of President Jimmy Carter's recently deceased wife was drawn by Robert Clark Templeton

Diaryblog

Defeated French general or noble Parliamentarian? Theresa May portrait divides opinion

The £28,000 portrait of the MP for Maidenhead will hang in Portcullis House

Diaryblog

Harry styles it out over comedian's cheeky portrait

Joe Lycett sells his painting to the former One Direction frontman for '£6 and a chunky peanut butter Kit Kat'

Best in show? Exhibition of dog paw-traits opens at London’s Wallace Collection

The show includes works by Leonardo and David Hockney, as well as a painting that Queen Victoria was “enamoured by”

Donald Trump’s political action committee gives Smithsonian $650,000 to pay for presidential portrait commission

The funds will cover nearly the entire cost of commissioning official portraits of the former president and former first lady Melania Trump for the National Portrait Gallery

New series of obscured portraits honour Afghan interpreters’ service in the fight against the Taliban

Photographs by former British army officer Andy Barnham capture the lives of the translators whilst hiding their identity from Afghanistan's extremist rulers

New shows reveal how Picasso was inspired by the Old Masters

Plus, Chris Levine's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II; and a rise in political interference in museum leadership

Hosted by Ben Luke and Louisa Buck. Produced by David Clack and Henrietta Bentall
Sponsored byChristie's
Booksreview

A new visual history of domestic service spanning 400 years examines the lives of those working within the home

From drawings and paintings by Dürer and Velázquez to lesser known images, book puts servants and slaves centre stage

We know Van Gogh’s face from his self-portraits, but how did his friends see him?

Other views of Vincent, captured by his fellow artists, reproduced together online for the first time

a blog by Martin Bailey

Exhibition explores the many faces of Elizabeth I and her fellow Tudors

The show of portraits at the Holburne Museum in Bath charts the reign of the Tudor monarchs and their subjects

Booksreview

Van Dyck's greatest portraits as an opera in four acts

This elegant and suggestively written monograph is the fruit of 70 years’ reflections on the Flemish artist’s portraiture

Van Gogh’s self-portraits: what do they really reveal?

An exhibition at London’s Courtauld Gallery will be the most comprehensive ever held of Vincent's paintings of himself

a blog by Martin Bailey
Booksreview

Divine People: first biography of Ambrose McEvoy reveals how portrait artist became a darling of London and New York society a century ago

The typescript of Eric Chilston's book, based on primary sources and eye-witness accounts, was rediscovered in 2018 after being thought lost for nearly 40 years

Shipwrecked, disinherited, imprisoned, accused of being a Gunpowder Plotter: Tudor adventurer’s portrait hits the block

Portrait thought to be of Thomas Arundell is to be auctioned at Woolley & Wallis this week

National Trust for Historic Preservation supports removal of Confederate statues that glorify white power

Trust says such monuments “do not reflect, and are in fact abhorrent to, our values”

San Diego artist wins top prize in US portrait competition with immigration-themed animation

Washington's National Portrait Gallery will display finalists’ work in a contest that helped to vault the reputation of Amy Sherald

In Pictures: Helene Schjerfbeck’s self-portraits and the evolution of her singular style

The Royal Academy of Arts' assistant curator Rebecca Bray talks us through five of the Finnish artist’s key works

Children’s portraits without shadows: new book on painting childhood

No Chucky or Lord of the Flies in portraits by British and British-based artists

Paintinginterview

Liu Xiaodong: an interview with China’s great documentary painter

The artist on portraying ordinary people and travelling the world with a “local spirit”

Long-neglected portraits by Cézanne arrive in the d'Orsay

This will be the first exhibition dedicated to the great master's portraits since 1910

The deeply educated John Singer Sargent

The painter’s portraits of his diverse circle of polymathic friends

Collectorsarchive

Collector Robbie Antonio sits for 12 portraits (so far)

Kenny Scharf, Marilyn Minter, David LaChapelle and Julian Opie have all painted Antonio, and Takashi Murakami is in his sights

Books: Isabella d’Este's hunt for a Leonardo painting

Isabella d’Este was not satisfied with an objet d’art and a drawing; she was determined to have Leonardo da Vinci paint her portrait