Monthly Archives: June 2021

A portrait photograph of British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood hangs next to a portrait of Anglo-American fashion journalist Anna Wintour in a room at the National Museum of Korea in central Seoul’s Yongsan District.

Westwood’s portrait, taken in 2012, is as new and provocative as his own fashion creation; the designer, 71 at the time, stands by the toilet, her hair dyed bright yellow, wearing a t-shirt printed with the slogan “Climate Revolution”.

Meanwhile, Wintour’s portrait, painted in 2009, is simple and smart, as is her bob hairstyle with neat bangs. Interestingly, the creators of the portraits are as famous as the subjects of the portraits. They are the British photographer Martin Parr and the American painter Alex Katz.

In another wall of the room hangs the portrait of Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani human rights activist who fights for women’s education and who is the youngest Nobel laureate, created by famous Iranian artist Shirin Neshat in her signature style in 2018. All portraits are part of “‘Icons and Identitys’ from the National Portrait Gallery, London”, a special exhibition which runs at the National Museum until August 15th.

It is a must-see exhibition in at least two aspects. First, the 78 portraits, sculptures, photos and media art currently on display include many works considered to be the highlights of the National Portrait Gallery in London, which, established in 1856, is the world’s first portrait museum. The Seoul Museum was able to borrow the important works as the London Museum began a large-scale renovation last year and will remain closed until 2023.

Highlights include the portrait of playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616), which was the first portrait ever obtained by the National Portrait Gallery from its vast and extensive collection, according to Korean museum curator Yang Su-mi; and the portrait of Elizabeth I (1533-1603), one of the most famous monarchs in world history.

The portrait of Elizabeth I, the famous Queen of England, painted circa 1573 by Nicholas Hilliard. [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

Also featured are portraits of revolutionary scientists Issac Newton (1643-1727) and Charles Darwin (1809-1882), whose images are also familiar to Koreans as they appear in many textbooks, along with a group portrait of the sisters. Brontë painted by their little brother. Novelist Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855) and poet and novelist Emily Bronte (1818-1848) have big fans in Korea.

Nicholas Cullinan, director of the National Portrait Gallery, said in a statement: “’Icons and Identities’ provides a unique opportunity to view a selection of the Gallery’s most treasured portraits internationally, while the building in London is temporarily closed for our Inspiring People redevelopment. This is the first time that many of these works have left [Britain] and the first time that our exceptional collection will travel to Korea.

″ Self-Portrait ″ (1929) by Scottish costume and stage designer Doris Zinkeisen, left, and ″ Self-portrait with Charlie ″ (2005) by famous English artist David Hockney. [MOON SO-YOUNG]

Another reason that makes the exhibition a must-see is its particular layout, which differs from that of the National Portrait Gallery. The extensive collection of the Museum of London is presented generally in chronological order based on British history. So visitors, who begin with the dramatic history of the Tudor dynasty, may find it difficult to focus when they finally reach the portraits of contemporary figures.

On the other hand, the Seoul Museum exhibition is organized into five thematic sections: “Fame”, “Power”, “Love and Loss”, “Innovation” and “Identity and Self-Portrait”. Visitors here can see the portraits in a new context and pay attention to those of contemporary figures, such as the video portrait of architect Zaha Hadid (1950-2016) by renowned artist Michael Craig-Martin and self-portraits by artists from renowned Lucian Freud (1922-2011) and David Hockney.

“The exhibit shows the life stories of 76 characters portrayed by 73 artists,” Yang said. “The characters, who have shaped the history and culture of Britain and the world over the past 500 years, also have interesting and touching personal stories, which are suggested in their portraits.”

″ Amy-Blue ″ (2011), a posthumous portrait of legendary singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse by acclaimed South African artist Marlene Dumas. [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

“In addition, the exhibition explores the many different functions that portraits have had in society throughout history,” she continued. “It also gives an overview of the history of art. Ranging from paintings executed on wood panels dating from the 16th century to holographic works of our time, the works encompass a variety of periods and styles.

Min Byoung-chan, Director General of the National Museum of Korea, said: “This special exhibition was staged in the midst of the global Covid-19 crisis. […] it will serve to quench our thirst for the arts and culture from other parts of the world that we have missed over the past year.

BY MOON SO-YOUNG [[email protected]]

National Portrait Gallery director Karen Quinlan was announced late last year as the new patron of the Capital Arts Patrons’ Organization (CAPO).

Drawn to the role due to the volunteer-oriented nature of the organization, Quinlan said she admires the way CAPO operates on its own.

“I’ve always been very impressed with volunteer organizations anyway; I myself started as a volunteer at the National Gallery in Melbourne, ”she said.

Quinlan said CAPO performs a very important function within the “delicate ecosystem” that exists to support artists.

“The good thing about them is that they connect with the business community to encourage donations that can then help artists in their work.

“This opportunity that CAPO presents… it’s about creating opportunities for artists,” she said. “That’s why I work in an art gallery.

Quinlan replaced internationally renowned Canberra artist Patricia Piccinini, who had held the position since 2018.

After the height of COVID-19 restrictions made the travel required for the role impossible from Piccinini’s home in Melbourne, Quinlan was sought out as an ideal replacement, based locally and held in high regard among the artistic community.

Having lived in Canberra since taking on her role at the Portrait Gallery in late 2018, Quinlan said that forging closer ties with the local art community was another factor that motivated her to take on the role of CAPO patron. .

“I haven’t had a lot of interaction with the local artist community here yet, but I hope it gives me a better connection with what’s going on locally here in Canberra,” she said.

“We have artists in this collection who are based in Canberra and we work with artists from Canberra in some of our exhibitions, so it’s just another platform for me to be engaged with the community at large. “

From art teacher to arts administrator

Quinlan’s journey to lead a national institution started small and has been filled with hard work and success along the way.

Originally a visual arts teacher, she took a keen interest in the National Gallery of Victoria’s fashion and textile collection, which led to her volunteering there.

After a while, she was offered a position at NGV as Assistant Curator.

“I imagined I couldn’t find a job there, but I did,” she said.

From there, Quinlan joined the Bendigo Art Gallery, first as a curator before becoming director in 2000, a role she held until she joined the National Portrait Gallery in 2018.

In Bendigo, Quinlan reinvented the gallery by rethinking their program; to bring back large international exhibitions into the fold, which she said has been “very successful”.

“I did this for 18 years, which is actually how long it takes for my two kids to grow up,” she smiles.

“And then I was approached to apply for this job, and I was good to go.

“I’ve always had a strong interest in portraiture in my own research, so this seemed like the right time and place to come.”

Since becoming director of the portrait gallery, Quinlan has said she has enjoyed her time in Canberra very much, despite the flood of external disruption she faced in her first two years.

The building was closed for essential renovations in April 2019, which saw the gallery move from its premises in Parkes to the Old Parliament for six months, where the first iteration of NPG took shape in the early 1990s.

“It was nice for me to be in this building, where it came from,” Quinlan said.

After the renovations were completed in October 2019, everything was relocated before a summer all Canberrans can remember – severe bushfires, smoky haze, hail, and then COVID-19 – passed.

“You can dream and dream and dream, but I haven’t really had a chance to follow through on some of the things I wanted to do,” she said.

Since the Gallery reopened in September 2020, Quinlan is now at the point where she feels she is “really starting to go somewhere.”

“It’s been a bit of a stop-start, stop-start, but I feel like we now have the potential to really reinvent part of the program and start to really push the boundaries, which I love. to do with the galleries.

“So it’s exciting; change takes time.

“The portraits speak to you, they are really accessible, and they tell amazing stories about Australians. “

Karen quinlan

Going forward, Quinlan is keen to forge relationships with other national portrait galleries around the world, while also establishing links nationally with state galleries and contemporary Australian artists.

“I work with historical and contemporary, Australian and global work, and I hope that with the continued revamping of the collection, we will continue to explore what we have here and present it to the public,” she said. declared.

Something that has stood out for Quinlan since taking on the role is the affinity people have for the institution.

“People love the Portrait Gallery,” she said.

“It’s a very beautiful building, it’s easy to move around and you can see everything and of course the portraits speak to you, they are really accessible and they tell amazing stories about Australians.”

And over the past two and a half years, she’s become very fond of it too.

“It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to work in an institution like this,” smiles Quinlan.

For more entertainment:

The Portrait Gallery of Canada is still homeless, but that does not prevent the virtual institution from appointing its first director and unveiling the exhibition plans.

The gallery announced Friday that it has appointed a retired federal public servant and communications specialist as director: Joanne Charette previously worked as official spokesperson for David Johnston when he was Governor General; as Director of Public Affairs at the National Gallery of Canada from 2001 to 2010, and more recently as Vice President of Strategy and Communications at the International Development Research Center.

The Portrait Gallery is an independent, non-profit organization seeking to revive a Canadian institution dedicated to portraiture after the federal government in 2008 canceled plans to build a new national museum in the former Embassy of the United States building. United States in front of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. The non-profit organization aims to build the institution as a public-private partnership with government support, but independent of federal control. Charette has been working with the Portrait Gallery since April.

In August, the organization will unveil its first online exhibition, an exhibition curated by Darren Pottie and devoted to self-portraits. “In Keeping with Myself” will be published on the gallery’s website from August 19 to February 1, 2022. The exhibition will explore the artist’s sense of isolation and internal struggle, using photographic self-portraits of the artist. contemporary artists from across Canada. , including Seamus Gallagher, Laurence Philomène, Olivia Johnston, Dainesha Nugent-Palache and Rande Cook.

In 2022, the gallery will also unveil a solo exhibition dedicated to the work of Winnipeg Indigenous multimedia artist KC Adams.

“Our work to secure physical space in the National Capital Region continues,” Portrait Gallery board chair Lawson Hunter said in a statement. “We hope that these two remarkable online exhibitions will generate interest in our ongoing efforts and further stimulate public conversations about the importance of the portrait and its power to tell Canadian stories.” “

The portrait gallery project has a 20-year history as political football: in 2001, the then Liberal government announced that the former embassy building would house the portrait collection held by Library and Archives Canada. and immediately created this new online institution. However, curators cut the construction project in 2008 and then merged the gallery’s website with Library and Archives, eliminating its independent online presence and name.

In 2017, the Liberal government dashed hopes of a physical resurrection when it announced that the Wellington Street building would house a new Indigenous center. In response, the Portrait Gallery became a citizen-run nonprofit in 2019.

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