What is a national portrait collection – and what could it be? This winter’s exhibition features portraits from the National Portrait Gallery alongside paintings and sculptures from the Nationalmuseum’s broader collections. Iconic works such as The Lady with the Veil are shown together with contemporary portraits, including Mikael Jansson’s portrait of Max Martin and Marja Helander’s portrait of Britta Marakatt-Labba.
What is a national portrait collection – and what could it be? That question forms the starting point for Nationalmuseum’s winter exhibition. The National Portrait Gallery was founded in 1822 as a collection of portraits of prominent Swedes. Considered the world’s oldest national portrait gallery, the collection has long been part of Nationalmuseum and is on display at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred.
This winter’s exhibition presents a selection of portraits from the National Portrait Gallery, together with paintings and sculptures from other parts of the museum’s collections.
Famous works such as The Lady with the Veil by Alexander Roslin—a portrait of the artist’s wife, painter Suzanne Giroust, from the 18th century—are presented alongside contemporary works such as Mikael Jansson’s portrait of music producer Max Martin and Marja Helander’s portrait of artist Britta Marakatt-Labba.
Alexander Roslin, The Lady with the Veil, the artist's wife Suzanne Giroust.
Mikael Jansson, Karl Martin Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin (born 1971), music producer, songwriter; on the t-shirt Prince Roger Nelson, known professionally as Prince (1958-2016), American singer, musician, songwriter.
Marja Helander, Britta Marakatt (born 1951), PhD h.c., Sámi textile artist, graphic artist, painter, married to reindeer owner Nils Johannes Labba.
Clarence Sinclair Bull, Greta Garbo (1905-1990) Actress, from The Kiss 1929.
The exhibition also raises fundamental questions about what a portrait is. Throughout history, images of society’s leaders have been used to convey and reinforce power. The National Portrait Gallery primarily reflects the country’s elite and powerholders through the ages. On a personal level, portraits have long served to remember family members and friends. The image of a face is strongly linked to our idea of a person’s character and identity. Today, the selfie taken with a mobile phone is one of the most defining visual expressions of our time.
The exhibition explores the varied roles and functions of portraiture throughout history and in our contemporary world. Here, artists’ self-portraits, portraits of children, depictions of friends, monarchs and ministers, Nobel Prize winners, musicians, actors, athletes, and authors are brought together. The exhibition also invites visitors to reflect on who is still missing from the collection—but perhaps ought to be included.