03/08/2026
London's National Portrait Gallery Launches "Artist Focus" Programme, with Inaugural Exhibition Featuring 12 Paintings and Seven Public Debuts
The National Portrait Gallery in London will launch its new contemporary exhibition series, Artist Focus, running from October 9, 2026, to February 28, 2027, with an inaugural presentation dedicated to Issy Wood’s self-portraits. Marking the first time these works have been brought together in a solo showcase, Issy Wood: Self-Portraits features twelve paintings created since 2020, seven of which have never previously been exhibited in public.
Born in the United States and now based in the United Kingdom, Wood is widely acclaimed for her psychologically charged paintings. Sourcing imagery from social media, advertisements, auction catalogues, and popular culture, she utilizes tightly cropped compositions to explore themes of contemporary identity, desire, and consumerism. The exhibition includes Self portrait 2 (2021) from the Gallery’s permanent collection alongside several works on loan from the artist’s personal collection. In these pieces, painted images increasingly serve as substitutes for photographs, offering a singular approach to self-representation.
Free to access, the Artist Focus programme will present three solo exhibitions each year in the Gallery’s Weston Wing, championing experimentation and innovation in contemporary portraiture. The Gallery's curatorial team noted that the century-old institution will continue to serve as a frontier for exploring portraiture, providing a vital platform for a new generation of artists while offering audiences a more contemporary, reflective viewing experience.
