Life, Death and Memory

Moving exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery looking at portraits which mark the passing of time and mortality.

The display was focused on “Death Mask” by Tracey Emin which has recently been donated by the artist. There was a good mix of old and contemporary work which lead to interesting conversations between pictures such as John Evelyn leaning on a skull by Robert Walker next the self portrait of Sarah Lucas with a skull between her feet.

The show points out that the art of portraiture grew out of funeral practices in the ancient world and has a section on images of death including Constable’s death mask.

The last section looked at reactions to illness and escaping death and includes a wonderful Sam Taylor Wood self-portrait addressing her breast cancer where she wears a single breasted suit and carries a stuffer hare in reference to her hair loss.

The most moving piece was a photograph of Philip Gould by Adrian Stern where Gould stands on his own grave plot just nine days before he died. What a brave photograph to have had taken.

Closes on 16 Mar 2018

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