National Portrait Gallery Unveils Elizabeth Peyton Portrait of Former Director Nicholas Cullinan
On July 1, 2026, the National Portrait Gallery in London unveiled a new portrait of its former Director, Nicholas Cullinan, by American artist Elizabeth Peyton. The work was commissioned to mark Cullinan’s tenure from 2015 to 2024 and has been given to the gallery by the artist. It is now on permanent display in Room 30. The portrait was created from life, with sittings in Paris and London, and continues the gallery’s tradition of representing former directors.
The Signal
The portrait deepens Peyton’s institutional presence in the UK, following her 2019–2020 retrospective *Aire and Angels* at the NPG, which she curated with Lucy Wood. The commission signals the gallery’s ongoing investment in contemporary portraiture and underscores Peyton’s stature as a leading portraitist. For collectors and curators, this acquisition adds a significant work by a blue-chip contemporary artist to a major national collection, reinforcing the NPG’s role in bridging historic and modern portraiture.
- Artists: Elizabeth Peyton
- People: Nicholas Cullinan, Lucy Wood
- Museums: National Portrait Gallery
- Locations: London
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