National Portrait Gallery

National Portrait Gallery stands on St Martin's Place, just off Trafalgar Square and adjoining the National Gallery, on the western edge of Covent Garden. Founded in 1856 and at this address since 1896, it holds a collection built around portraits of the people who have shaped British history and culture, and admission to the collection is free.

The gallery reopened on 22 June 2023 after a major redevelopment costing around £41m, which delivered a new Ross Place entrance, a full redisplay of the collection and the opening of the East Wing, along with bronze entrance doors by Tracey Emin depicting 45 women. The displays were substantially reordered in the process, giving fresh prominence to a wider range of sitters.

Portrait gallery by Trafalgar Square

The collection runs to around 11,000 British portraits across painting, sculpture, photography and other media, mixing historical figures with contemporary sitters and telling the story of Britain through its faces. Temporary exhibitions run alongside the permanent displays, some with a charge, and the building also houses the Portrait Restaurant on the top floor, the Audrey Green café at street level and Larry's café bar below, plus the Heinz Archive and Library, open by appointment.

What to expect on a visit

The gallery opens daily from 10.30am, closing at 6pm from Sunday to Thursday and at 9pm on Friday and Saturday, with last entry half an hour before closing and exhibitions closing an hour earlier. Booking ahead is advised for a smooth arrival, and large bags must go to the cloakroom. Charing Cross and Leicester Square stations are a short walk away. It is the largest of the art galleries in and around Covent Garden, and The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House is a ten-minute walk along the Strand for free admission days and Impressionist masterpieces.