The National Portrait Gallery in London, which is home to paintings of Hans Holbein the Younger, Anthony Van Dyck, and Joshua Reynolds, is welcoming contemporary artists to the museum as part of a new program called Artist Focus.
The gallery’s Weston Wing will host three exhibitions annually with free admission, starting with the American-born British artist Issy Wood, whose show will be on view October 9 through to February 28, 2027. In 2025, Wood made headlines for painting pop star Charli XCX for the cover of Vanity Fair.
The National Portrait Gallery has already collected three of Wood’s works, one of them being Self Portrait 2 (2021), which will be displayed during the presentation alongside 11 paintings from the artist’s personal collection and seven portraits that have never before been exhibited publicly.
Issy Wood‘s Self Portrait 71 (2025)
Damian Griffiths
“The Gallery’s history has always been one of innovation,” Flavia Frigeri, the National Portrait Gallery’s chief curator, said in a statement. “We were the first portrait gallery in the world when we were founded in 1856 and remain the global centre for the study and appreciation of portraiture today. As the home of portraiture, the NPG is best placed to be a venue and a platform for continued experimentation, as we work to inspire future generations by showcasing the work of trailblazing artists.”
The gallery has held a portrait competition open internationally since 1980. The competition was renamed the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award in 2024 to reflect the law firm’s sponsorship of the award, which includes a cash prize of £35,000.
This year’s winner was Marc Dalessio, for his portrait Jean-Denis; the painting was named after his neighbor. Other artists in the competition included Lucille Dweck, who painted British Iraqi writer, actor, drag performer, and filmmaker Amrou Al-Kadhi, and Hannah George, a fashion publicist at Hermès who painted Mummy Needs A Break, depicting a woman resting her hand on her head with her eyes shut.