EXHIBITION ORGANISED BY THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON
TOURING THE WORLD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 160 YEARS
ICONS & IDENTITIES: MASTERPIECES OF PORTRAITURE
London-based National Portrait Gallery’s first-ever world tour of this significance since its founding over 160 years ago, “A once-in-a-generation opportunity”.
This exhibition is the special gift from CHIMEI Museum since it’s the 30th anniversary. We cordially invite you to travel through the life story of these influential figures and see how they affected the United Kingdom and enriched the world.
National Portrait Gallery, London
THE LARGEST PORTRAIT COLLECTION IN THE WORLD
Founded in 1856, the National Portrait Gallery, London is the world’s first portrait gallery, it also holds the most extensive collection of portraits, including 215,000 works of eminent individuals from the 16th Century to the present day, each of whom have played an important role in British and world history. The Gallery in London is currently closed until 2023, while essential building works take place as part of its Inspiring People redevelopment project. Because of this, treasures from the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection have been able to leave the UK in the grandest exhibition of this scale since the Gallery’s establishment over 160 years ago.
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Spans Over 500 Years
The Most Influential Figures of All Times
William Shakespeare, Charles Darwin, Beatles, and Ed Sheeran, sitters across 500 years in various fields. They established their characters through portrait paintings, and life stories outside the picture frames.
Celebrity Painted by Celebrity
Reclaiming the Former Glory by the Old Masters
Sir Peter Paul Rubens the artistic genius, Andy Warhol the master of Pop Art, David Hockney the leading figure of English Art, how do these iconic artists document these figures through their artworks?
01｜William Shakespeare- The first piece to National Portrait Gallery’s Collection
William Shakespeare, c. 1600-10 associated with John Taylor © National Portrait Gallery, London
02｜Ed Sheeran- His first portrait after becoming a singer
Ed Sheeran, 2016 Colin Davidson © Colin Davidson
03｜Princess Elizabeth - Portrait used for political marriage
Princess Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia and Electress Palatine, c.1610 Robert Peake the Elder © National Portrait Gallery, London
04｜Queen Elizabeth II- A holography used over 10 thousand images to create
Equanimity by Chris Levine (artist), Rob Munday (holographer) © The Artist / Jersey Heritage 2004
05｜Charles Darwin- Known to be the best represented portrait of Darwin
Charles Darwin, 1883 John Collier, based on a work of 1881 © National Portrait Gallery, London
Icons and Identities: Masterpieces of Portraiture, a “once-in-a-generation opportunity”, will exhibit treasures from the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection. Currently closed until 2023 as part of its Inspiring People redevelopment project, treasures from the Collection have been able to leave the UK in the grandest exhibition of this scale since the Gallery’s establishment over 160 years ago.
The art of portraiture has always delved into the experience of human life; even with the rapid development of photography and new media, it has not deviated from this core characteristic. Portraiture features ‘a sense of encounter with another individual’ and the artist, playing the intermediary role, intrigues our curiosity about the life and identity of the portrayed sitter.
This exhibition provides a rare opportunity to enjoy over 70 portraits from the last 500 years, including a number of artworks from the CHIMEI Museum’s own collection. This exhibition, instead of being curated in chronological order, is divided into six thematic sections—‘Self-portrait’, ‘Fame’, ‘Identity, ‘Love and Loss’, ‘Power’ and ‘Innovation’. These themes enable visitors to examine the diverse meanings of portraits.
This exhibition is a special event to celebrate the 30th-anniversary of the CHIMEI Museum. We invite you to come and meet these characters who have influenced Britain and enriched the world over the past 500 years. Come and engage in a visual dialogue with these remarkable portraits, while embarking on a journey of self-reflection. Through this collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery in London, CHIMEI Museum also hopes to engage in a wider global community and bring cultural vitality to the museums in Taiwan.
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