The Princess of Wales has officially reopened the National Portrait Gallery in London following an extensive three-year refurbishment programme – one of the largest in the gallery’s 167-year history.

The Princess of Wales and Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery © David Parry

As well as the restoration of the Grade I listed building, there has been a comprehensive redisplay of the collection in the beautifully refurbished galleries, with more than 50 new acquisitions. The gallery reopened to the public on 22 June.

Home to the world’s largest collection of portraits, the National Gallery in St Martin’s Place, in the heart of London’s West End, was founded in 1856 and tells the story of Britain through portraits, using art to bring history to life, and to explore living today.

The Princess of Wales was greeted on the gallery’s forecourt by Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, before meeting David Ross, the Chair of the National Portrait Gallery’s Board of Trustees, Jamie Fobert, Project Architect, and award-winning artist Tracey Emin, who was commissioned to create an artwork for the gallery’s new doors, incorporating 45 carved brass panels, representing ‘every woman, throughout time’.

Artist Tracey Emin, architect Jamie Fobert, Chair of the Board David Ross and Director Dr Nicholas Cullinan welcome The Princess of Wales © David Parry

Upon entering the building, formerly opening the gallery’s new doors for the first time, Her Royal Highness visited The Mildred and Simon Palley Learning Centre, which has formed a crucial part the gallery’s redevelopment and has more than doubled its capacity for learners. The Princess heard about the gallery’s new Under 5’s programme, before joining nursery children taking part in a multi-sensory workshop focused on the world of Beatrix Potter.

Following this, the Princess had the opportunity to see one the gallery’s most recent acquisitions, Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Mai (Omai). This artwork, which is widely regarded as the finest portrait produced by one of Britain’s greatest artists, was jointly acquired by the gallery and Getty this year, following a major fundraising campaign.

The Princess of Wales in front of Sir Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Mai (Omai) © David Parry

Her Royal Highness then viewed Yevonde: Life and Colour, a new exhibition which explores the life and work of Yevonde, the pioneering London photographer, who spearheaded the use of colour photography in the 1950s. Featuring portraits and still-life works produced by Yevonde over a 60-year career, the exhibition also includes the archive of her work, which the gallery acquired in 2021.

The Princess went on to meet Sir Paul McCartney, whose photography exhibition opened at the gallery on 28 June and runs until 1 October, in addition to a number of the gallery’s major supporters.

The Princess of Wales meets Sir Paul McCarney and Nancy Shevell © David Parry

David Ross, Chair of the National Portrait Gallery’s Board of Trustees, said: “The NPG has been reimagined and will now welcome visitors from every corner of our country and all over the world. The project will make portraiture accessible to many who might not have thought it was for them. It has made the gallery a genuine cultural hub in the heart of the West End.”

Ross Place Entrance and the new forecourt at the National Portrait Gallery © Olivier Hess

Over 1,100 portraits are now on display in the gallery, up by a third since 2020, when the gallery closed for refurbishment. In addition to displaying many of its most famous and best-loved portraits, from Holbein’s majestic drawing of Henry VIII to Sam Taylor Johnson’s film of David Beckham sleeping, the gallery has commissioned, acquired and borrowed new works to present a wider selection of people and stories.

A view through the Art, Science and Society display at the National Portrait Gallery © Gareth Gardner for Nissen Richards Studio

Important new contemporary commissions include Sir Nicholas Serota by Sir Steve McQueen; Zadie Smith by Toyin Ojih Odutola; Sir Michael Eavis by Sir Peter Blake and Work in Progress by Jann Haworth and Liberty Blake. Loans of key sitters include Lady Margaret Beaufort, portrayed in the earliest known full-length portrait of an Englishwoman, 19th century mathematician and computer pioneer Ada Lovelace, by Margaret Sarah Carpenter, and Anglo-Indian soldier Lieutenant Colonel James Skinner by the Delhi court artist Ghulam Husayn Khan.

The Contemporary Collection in The Mary Weston Gallery © David Parry

If you or your group would like to enjoy a visit to the newly reopened National Portrait Gallery on a tour of London or the United Kingdom, perhaps as part of a dedicated culture tour focusing on the best of British art, then please do contact our friendly team.