Tipped

Organized, Interesting Exhibit

March 04, 2008

I was completely surprised by how interesting the National Portrait Gallery was. I’d read good things about the place, but I didn’t quite believe them. Portraits tend to bore me, but how they were presented, and how quickly they passed through the centuries in the gallery was great.

It starts with the Tudors on the top floor, and you work your way through the galleries — which are all numbered to keep you going chronologically, which was a big help — and make your way to today. The portrait captions are also really interesting, mostly displaying facts about the sitter and often bringing some new info to light, especially for those not quite up on British history like me.

I didn’t have time to check out the special exhibit — a Vanity Fair portrait exhibit — but I’d like to go back to see it.

Tags: art, portraits, British history, museum, gallery