BP Portrait Award @ The National Portrait Gallery

06 September 2013

Last weekend, it was a sunny Saturday and we had plans to go to an exhibition outside of London that I've been dying to visit (and hopefully still will in the next month!). Sadly, we had some work and flat hunting things to take care of for some of the day, so we decided to go for a short & sweet afternoon outing to the National Portrait Gallery, for the BP Portrait Award Exhibition.





This was the third (not consecutive) year that I had been to this exhibition, and it's a very interesting experience each time. It showcases 55 top portraits from the competition, including the prizewinners. E and I both had different opinions on which portraits stood out to us, which were also different to the chosen prizewinners. Art, in any shape or form, is so personal and subjective, it's always fascinating to learn from the viewpoint of others and to discover your own. 








The great thing about this exhibition is that a) entrance is free, and b) it's compact, so you could just as easily pop in for a quick look around as you could dedicate a day to exploring the entire gallery. 

We left the rest of the gallery for another day, and went for a stroll in Trafalgar Square. E got me a scoop of salted caramel Häagen-Dazs which is now one of my all time favourite flavours (seriously, try it), and we soaked up a little sunshine in Leicester Square.

If you're interested in an inexpensive (free), interesting and inspiring activity this weekend, you should give this exhibition a go before it ends on September 15th!


12 comments:

  1. I love that so many exhibitions in London are free - you can just nip in, nose around and then get on with the rest of your day! This exhibition is amazing, ably gouge it's one of those things I am notoriously bad at getting myself to, which is a shame!

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    1. it's one of those things that when you know it's there and so close, you think you could go at any time, and then end up not going at all! i've been guilty of that a lot x

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  2. how amazing!
    http://www.wastedyouthwithyou.blogspot.com

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  3. I also think it's so great so many of London's greatest cultural spots are free. I wish the major players in NYC would get the hint. It's such a shame people's creativity only reaches a certain pocket size. My life fantasy is to work near a museum and pop in during a lunch break.

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    1. i didn't know that about NY - i thought it would be the opposite actually! i agree with you completely. also i just had a look at your blog, i love it! x

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  4. One of the things I hate most about living so far from London are the galleries. I used to visit quite often, spending an afternoon at the Tate is always so inspiring, but since I moved further away I haven't been in a long time.

    Jennie xo | sailorjennie.com

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    1. perhaps it's time for a little trip to London...?? :) x

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  5. Love this! I wish I could go :[ I lovedddd the National Portrait Gallery when I was in London and I generally am just in love with European museums haha. Wish I lived closer!

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    1. Also I forgot to mention how much I love these pictures. I always feel awkward when people are in my pictures, but you did a great job! I LOVE the one of the older guy leaning in slightly to look at that picture of the crowd.

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