The faces of some well-known and loved Britons have started to arrive in Canberra.
Shakespeare to Winehouse, Icons from the National Portrait Gallery, London is a stunning new exhibition opening at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra on March 12, continuing to July 17.
The more than 80 portraits are of people who have shaped British history, identity and culture over the past 500 years, from William Shakespeare to Ed Sheeran.
The faces of some of the best-known and most-loved Britons - Queen Elizabeth II, the Beatles, David Bowie, Kate Moss, Mick Jagger and Princess Diana, among them - are situated alongside historical luminaries including the Brontë sisters, Charles Dickens, Queen Elizabeth I, Lord Nelson and Sir Isaac Newton. Modern-day icons like Ed Sheeran, Darcey Bussell, Nelson Mandela and Malala Yousafzai feature too.
Rather than a chronological display, the exhibition is focused the themes of Fame, Power, Love and Loss, Identity, Innovation, and Self, demonstrating how "defining characteristics of portraiture have been reinterpreted and reimagined by artists across time, and showing how portraits can share the same language despite being created centuries apart".
National Portrait Gallery director Karen Quinlan said many of the works in the exhibition were rarely off the walls of its sister gallery in London.
"We are thrilled to have this rare opportunity to show them here in Australia while NPG London is closed for refurbishment," Ms Quinlan said.
"The exhibition includes portraits of many well known and loved British faces, as well as works of immense historic and artistic importance.
"The hero portrait of William Shakespeare was the first to enter NPG London's collection on its founding in 1856 is thought to be the only one to capture the playwright during his lifetime, and the self-portrait by Anthony van Dyck is also widely considered to be one of his finest.
"There is a broad and diverse range of artistic styles and genres from an important list of artists, each in their own way capturing the icons of their time - from royals, rockstars, fashion models, leaders and literary giants. This is a big picture exhibition of British art, culture and history."
Bookings for the exhibition can be made here.
