2017 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of male homosexual behaviour in England and Wales and offers the opportunity to reflect on a key moment when notions of sexuality and identity were being questioned and attitudes transformed. In response to this anniversary and as part of an ongoing strand of programming, the National Portrait Gallery is running a year-long season of displays and events examining wider issues of representation, gender and sexuality and the way in which art and portraiture explore and question ideas about identity.
Marlene Dumas: Oscar Wilde and Bosie
29 March – 30 October 2017
Room 21
Free
These portraits by contemporary artist Marlene Dumas (b.1953) represent Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) and Lord Alfred Douglas (1870–1945), also known as ‘Bosie’. Wilde is one of the most significant writers, dramatists and poets of the late nineteenth-century.
Speak its Name!
22 November 2016 – 6 August 2017
Room 32
Free
This display features seven portraits and quotations from Speak its Name!, a new book that marks the fiftieth anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales.
Double Take: Akram Zaatari and the Arab Image Foundation
27 March – 3 September 2017
Room 33
Free
This display will present studio portraits taken by Madani in which two people of the same sex kiss or tenderly embrace. By returning to these historical documents, Zaatari explores the specific cultural and political histories contained within Madani’s portraits.
David Gwinnutt: Before We Were Men
9 March – 24 September 2017
Room 39
Free
David Gwinnutt away from the lights and publicity of the clubs, captured these sitters in the intimacy of their own homes, often squats or rented council accommodation. Using only his handheld camera and natural light, these grainy black and white photographs feel unguarded and spontaneous, offering a privileged glimpse into the private worlds of these rising stars who lived, worked and played together.
See also Gillian Wearing and Claude Cahun: Behind the mask, another mask
9 March – 29 May 2017
Wolfson Gallery
Tickets with donation: Full price £12 (Concessions £10.50) Members Free
Buy Membership here
This exhibition brings together for the first time the work of French Surrealist artist Claude Cahun and British contemporary artist Gillian Wearing.
| Duration | 29 March 2017 - 30 October 2017 |
| Times | see website |
| Cost | see website |
| Venue | National Portrait Gallery |
| Address | St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE |
| Contact | / archiveenquiry@npg.org.uk / www.npg.org.uk |