The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2017

Interesting exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery showing the shortlisted entries to this annual portrait photograph competition.

There was a nice mix of pictures of famous people taken on commission and ordinary people caught at particular moments. In the first category I loved a picture of the artists Maggi Hambling by Harry Coy Wright,   sitting on a stool smoking which was made out of focus by the smoke from the cigarette enhanced by a smoke machine. It caught her character really well and was a nod to her sculpture of Oscar Wilde where is hair seems to be made of cigar smoke. I also liked the one of David Cameron by Charlie Bibby in Downing Street, adjusting his tie, taken a few days before his resignation.

I loved a picture (sorry I forgot to write down the artist) of two boys playing Minecraft on a sofa with a women cooking seen through a hatch in the background. It had a feel a Velazquez. However my favourite was a delightful picture by Laurence Cartwright which captures the moment a dog steels a sandwich at a picnic. I’m not sure it’s a portrait but it’s a great photograph.

Closed on 8 February 2018

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