Van Dyck self-portrait returns to National Portrait Gallery alongside new Julian Opie work
The self-portrait dates back to 1640.
A self-portrait of painter Sir Anthony van Dyck – kept in the UK after a fundraising appeal – will be joined by new work from Julian Opie as it returns to the National Portrait Gallery after a nationwide tour.
Opie, one of Britain’s foremost contemporary artists, will present new pieces of work alongside the self-portrait, which dates back to 1640.
Faime (2016), Lucia, back 3 (2017) and Beach Head, 6 (2017) will feature in the Julian Opie After Van Dyck display which comes three years after the self-portrait was saved from leaving the country by the major fundraising drive.
A grant of £6.3 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund combined with donations from the public, two private trusts, the Art Fund and the gallery saved the work for the nation.
It has since enjoyed a nationwide tour including visits to the Turner Contemporary in Margate, Manchester Art Gallery and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.
Catharine MacLeod, curator of the display, said: “Julian Opie’s work references historical portraiture, and has often used compositional devices employed by 17th-century artists. The portraits in this display are a testament to Van Dyck’s lasting legacy in Britain.”
Julian Opie After Van Dyck runs at the National Portrait Gallery from October 6 to January 7 2018.
