The Portrait Now presents over ninety of the best contemporary portraits from across the world, including the most recent work of internationally acclaimed artists.
2 March – 18 June 2006
Focusing on works from the early years of the new millennium, this book highlights the continuing appeal of representing the human face.
In an era of mass-media and the Internet, where images can be exchanged globally in an instant, and in a world in which we are being recorded visually more than even before from the passport photograph to the CCTV camera the desire for distinctive commissioned portraiture endures. Faced with an increasingly complex world, artists are responding to the human face and body in ever more imaginative ways. Drawing upon works in all media, The Portrait Now explores the latest developments in painting, sculpture, video art and photography, and highlights the changes that are occurring in the artistic presentation of the human form, demonstrating the inventiveness of the genre. Each portrait is accompanied by an insightful caption and biography of the artist.
