David Bowie to Doctor Who: Famous faces come to life in art show

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From Winston Churchill to Amy Winehouse, and Charles Darwin to Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa, portraits of a host of British icons feature in the first immersive exhibition to use one of Britain’s national art collections.

The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) has combined digital versions of portraits from its collection with animated graphics and voiceovers to tell the stories of 19 celebrities and historical figures.

It is the latest in a wave of increasingly popular immersive art shows, which fill gallery walls with large-scale projected visuals.

The show launches in Salford on Friday before going on a UK tour. But while access to see the original portraits in the NPG in London is free, entrance to the Stories Brought To Life exhibition costs up to £35.

Frameless/National Portrait Gallery/David Parry Screens showing portraits of Amy Winehouse, David Bowie, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, Emmeline Pankhurst and Charles Darwin, with a silhouetted worker on a ladder in front of themFrameless/National Portrait Gallery/David Parry
Amy Winehouse is in the show, as are David Bowie (top left), scientist Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (top right), Emmeline Pankhurst (bottom right) and Charles Darwin (bottom left)

NPG director Victoria Siddall told BBC News: “The main driver of this is taking the collection to new audiences outside of London.

“But there is another element to that, of course, which is raising revenue, which is absolutely crucial for museums to thrive.

“Obviously we’re always looking at new innovations that can help engage audiences. And if that brings us revenue too that’s wonderful.”

All national galleries charge for admission to special exhibitions, she added.

The gallery has forecast an operating deficit for the latest financial year.

Frameless/National Portrait Gallery/David Parry Two halves of Charles Darwin's face on two screens, separated by a space in which a man and boy stand, looking at one of the screensFrameless/National Portrait Gallery/David Parry
Darwin is a giant of British history, in more ways than one

The use of the striking paintings and photos with animated graphics, music and narration was a “powerful combination”, Siddall said.

The exhibition is being held in a pop-up venue at MediaCity in Salford until August and will then tour to five more locations, but they have not been announced.

The venue’s walls are filled with about 40 giant picture frame-style boxes, which the portraits and animations are projected onto.

Some of the chosen personalities, such as Malala Yousafzai, Churchill and Audrey Hepburn, tell their stories in their own words; while actors narrate the sections about others, including William Shakespeare and Emmeline Pankhurst.

It’s a whistlestop guide to selected slices of history, with each person’s story told in two or three minutes, and the entire show taking about 45 minutes. It ends with Queen Elizabeth II.

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