National Portrait Gallery

Pretty as a picture!

30 May 08, 16:39 Beyond expectations

It must be a huge honour to find yourself in here! I love the way that you get all of the history but keep it up to date with modern portraits of contemporary figures too.

Bit of it all

15 Apr 08, 17:00 Above expectations

This amazing gallery loctaed on Trafalgar Square has portraits of everyone from King Henry I to Blur. Including Andy Warhol's work and occasionally the odd masterpiece (Van Gogh et al)

It is a great way to soak up a bit of culture without spending a whole day doing it (which you can)

It is a huge place but also has some unknown artisits which adds to the charm...

I pop in occasionaly at lunch and wonder round. It is upto you if you wish to donate with no pressure at all from the staff who also certainly know there stuff

Perfect place for a lunchtime wander

11 Apr 08, 13:27 As expected

If you fancy an escape from the confines of the office four walls at lunchtime, I must recommend that you go to the National Portrait Gallery. Not only does it offer an hour of peace and tranquility (when it's not the school holiday!), it has a fantastic collection of portraits to offer, both old and contemporary from some of the world's most famous artists. There's always new exhibitions so it is not a place you can get easily bored of. There's a lovely little restaurant too!

A top place to visit and it is free

02 Aug 07, 08:11 Beyond expectations

You enter this gallery through a revolving door and walk up to a giant escalator this takes you up to the start of the exhibition. Contempary famous people are depicted. The type of people you would read about in the Sunday Times 20 years ago and some still alive.Then it is a walk through room after room all of which are dedicated to different eras. The Tudors the Stuarts and other Royalty through the ages. Army Generals get a good deal of exposure around WW1 when they must have been held is high reguard, how times change.

The four floors are stuffed you straight forward pictures of the very rich and powerful. You will not see much of the poor and help less. One picture is of a very ugly woman sticks in the mind however.

A special exhibition of note is the BP. It happens every year when modern painters do portraits of the ugly and the ordinary, as well as themselves. It is free and well worth a visit.

The gallery has a nice shop a cafe and good quality toilet's. Lifts up to a top floor restaurant and the gallerys other floors are avalible.

Popular gallery!

13 Jul 07, 04:05 Above expectations

This gallery is contempary however i did find it quite boring. There was nothing really eye catching and different. The information and portraits which has gone up this year concerning the abolition of the slave trades i found quite interesting as it gave me further insight to how it all began and ended.

Home of the BP prize and other contemporary greats

11 Jul 07, 11:41 Above expectations

I've given this 4 stars rather than 5, despite it being one of my favourite galleries in London. This is because honestly, the majority of the permanent collection bores me.

However, it is home to the BP prize, which always boasts some fabulous work from hugely talented British artists. It also boasts a brilliant contemporary portrait gallery, which displays photos, paintings, and sometimes scultures of popular public figures. This gallery is always evolving with new acquisitions and mini-exhibitions, so every time I go there is something new to see.

National Portrait Gallery

17 May 07, 21:45 Above expectations

Plenty of lovely paintings to see at this free gallery. They usually have a extra exhibition that costs to enter, good if that is specifically what you want, but it would take more than one or two visits to take in all what is there to see for free. Last time I was there a few extra Van Gogh's where on display and it was nice to see Sunflowers even if I had to wait and jockey for position as it was busy. Plenty of other famous pictures to see which when permanent features of the gallery are much quieter and it's a more relaxing experience to view. I imagine week days offer a less bustling time. On top of the painting the old sections of the building it's self are grand and add to the overall experience.