AFTER HOURS AT THE NPG

A look inside the National Portrait Gallery’s annual fundraising gala.

On 17 March, the National Portrait Gallery hosted its annual Portrait Gala, bringing together artists, writers and supporters to raise funds for the Gallery’s ongoing work.

Guests were given private access to the current exhibitions Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting and Catherine Opie: To Be Seen, before dinner was served across the galleries themselves.

Throughout the evening, artist Es Devlin sketched portraits of guests in real time, while photographer Rachel Louise Brown created tintype portraits on site — small, physical pieces that people could take away with them. A silent auction also ran alongside the night, with works and experiences donated by artists and cultural partners.

The guest list spanned art, fashion and film, with names including Rashida Jones, Jarvis Cocker, Russell Tovey and Simone Rocha, alongside the Gala’s co-chairs Bella Freud, Jenny Saville, Zadie Smith and Lady Ina Sarikhani Weston.

Following the launch of Portrait Contemporaries, a community for patrons aged 25-45, the NPG also welcomed a new generation of cultural philanthropists to the Gala’s After-Party, which featured a post-dinner performance from Sophie Ellis-Bextor and DJ sets from Hale Zero and Princess Julia.

Funds raised from the Gala support the Gallery’s exhibitions, education programmes and long-term care of the collection.

The night carried on downstairs at Larry’s, where things loosened, the music picked up, and the guest list held strong well into the early hours.