London's 'National Portrait Gallery' first opened its doors in 1856; however in 1896 it moved to its current location just off Trafalgar Square, next to the National Gallery. According to its website at www.npg.org.uk, the gallery was created "to collect portraits of famous British men and women", which has since amounted to over 175,000 portraits from the sixteenth century to the present day. The gallery is open between the hours of 10am to 6pm everyday, except on Thursdays and Fridays when it remains open until 9pm. Exhibitions this year include one on Lucian Freud (currently on), the Queen and portraits of those contributing to the Olympic ...  Read the complete review

A welcome oasis after the hustle and bustle of Leciester Square. The National Portrait Gallery really does have something for everyone. Although you may need to pay to see some of the special exhibitions the majority of the gallery is free. If you are a frequent visitor then you can become a member and see the special exhibits for free. I loved the Annie Leiboitiwz and Irving Penn exhibitions. If you are likely to want to see the special exhibits around 3 times a year then membership is likely to work out cheaper for you. You will also get invitiations for member previews and 10% discount for the bookshop and restaurant. Currently single membership is ...  Read the complete review

The NPG is right round the corner from the National Gallery but I think is just as worthy of a visit. The NPG houses portraiture from the Tudors right up to modern day and actively commissions work. The collection is arranged in chronological order and I probably spend the most time in the contemporary collection. Obviously the older rooms are full of paintings but the newer rooms include sculpture and photography as well. The NPG has a regular temporary exhibition, past highlights include David Hockney, Annie Leibovitz and Gay Icons. At the moment they have an exhibition with 60s photography. Although the gallery is free to ...  Read the complete review

The National Portrait Gallery was the first of its kind in the world, established by eminent Victorians, such as Thomas Carlyle, to provide likenesses of the great individuals that influence and drive history (one of his pet theories). Of course in 150 years the notion of what it means to be a great Briton has changed somewhat as we live in an age of celebrity and even instant celebrity. Quite what Carlyle would have made of the artworks of David Beckham and David Starkey, we can only speculate. I suspect there will be iamgery of Jade Goody soon? However, the truth is the gallery needs to have its pulse on contemporary society rather than become a static ...  Read the complete review

Now, I would hate for you to get the idea that I am a philistine - I appreciate a decent painting as much as the next man - but I must confess that given the choice between an afternoon in the pub and a trip to one of the West End's galleries, I tend to go for Guinness rather than Gauguin. Thus it was that, more than two years after moving to London, I had yet to visit the National Portrait Gallery. I'd love to say that I had a sudden desire for self-improvement but, as is so often the case, it was all down to a woman; more specifically, my newly acquired art-student girlfriend. "Accompany you to the NPG this weekend, ma chere? I'd love ...  Read the complete review