A Guide to Contemporary Portraits

Authors Sandy Nairne and Sarah Howgate select over fifty contemporary works from the Gallery's collection, including images of David Beckham, Zaha Hadid, J.K. Rowling and Akram Kahn, and portraits by leading British artists Tracey Emin, David Hockney, Gilbert and George, Sam Taylor-Wood and Julian Opie. With behind-the-scenes knowledge of how certain portraits came to be made, the authors offer fresh insights into the intimate relationship between artist and sitter. The Guide is organized thematically and sections include an overview of the Gallery's collection from the 1990s onwards, artist's self-portraits, commissioning portraits and the artist's process. In addition, this publication features interviews with leading British artists, revealing their working methods and the creative inspiration that drives them. With new commissions as well as many more familiar images, readers are invited to look at contemporary portraiture afresh in order to consider why and how these works were created, and their meaning for future generations.