Tate and National Portrait Gallery Announce National Tour of William Dobson Self-Portrait
The Facts
Tate and the National Portrait Gallery have announced a national tour of William Dobson’s self-portrait (c.1635–40), jointly acquired in 2025. The painting will travel to Hull’s Ferens Art Gallery from 31 January to 23 May 2027, then to Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum from June to December 2027, and finally to the National Portrait Gallery in London from January to July 2028. Currently on display at Tate Britain alongside Dobson’s ‘Portrait of The Artist’s Wife’, the self-portrait will also inspire a free evening of music, workshops and performances this October, programmed by Tate Collective Producers for young people aged 16–25. The tour is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Bjorn Saven CBE, the David and Emma Verey Charitable Trust, and the Tavolozza Foundation.
The Signal
The tour of Dobson’s self-portrait, one of the earliest examples of English self-portraiture, aims to connect a 17th-century work with a new generation through creative programming at each venue. By following the artist’s own journey from London to Hull (site of a 1642 siege) and Oxford (where he worked for Charles I’s exiled court), the project embeds art history in local contexts. For collectors and institutions, the joint acquisition and tour signal a growing emphasis on making historically significant works accessible outside London, while the youth-focused initiatives—including a soundscape co-produced with Hull’s Warren Youth Project—reflect a broader museum strategy to build relevance and community engagement around heritage objects.
- Artists: William Dobson
- People: Karin Hindsbo, Catharine MacLeod, Cllr Jackie Dad, Dr Xa Sturgis CBE, Stuart McLeod
- Museums: Tate, National Portrait Gallery, Ferens Art Gallery, Ashmolean Museum
- Locations: London, Hull, Oxford
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