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Famous Portrait of King Richard III to go on Display at the Yorkshire Museum

Date: 6th May 2021

World-famous portrait is on loan from the National Portrait Gallery  

 Friday 9th July – Sunday 31st October 2021 

 

  • Iconic Richard III portrait to go on display at the Yorkshire Museum on loan from the National Portrait Gallery
  • The exhibition will showcase the portrait alongside one of the finest groups of objects associated with Richard III in the country
  • The portrait is on loan as part of the National Portrait Gallery’s COMING HOME project which sees the National Portrait Gallery lend portraits of iconic individuals to places across the UK with which they are most closely associated
  • The exhibition has been supported by the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund, with a grant of £17,625

 The world-famous late 16th century portrait of Richard III will go on display at the Yorkshire Museum as part of a new display, in summer 2021.

The painting, which has become synonymous with the depiction of Richard III, is on loan from the National Portrait Gallery, London, and will be displayed alongside the museum’s outstanding collections associated with the King such as the magnificent Middleham Jewel, The Ryther Hoard and the Stillingfleet Boar Badge worn by one of his supporters.

The loan to the Yorkshire Museum is part of the National Portrait Gallery’s  nation-wide COMING HOME project, that will see some of its most iconic works travel to the place they are most closely associated with.

The exhibition at the Yorkshire Museum has been supported by the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund, with a grant of £17,625. The programme, established in 2017, is designed to fund and empower regional and smaller local authority museums to borrow major works of art from national collections.

Lucy Creighton, curator of archaeology, said: “King Richard III was the last King of the House of York and he remains a well-loved figure in the City.

“It is fantastic to be working with the National Portrait Gallery on this project as it provides a rare opportunity to showcase this iconic piece of fine art alongside the Yorkshire Museum’s collections which includes one of the finest group of objects associated with Richard III in the country.

We look forward to the arrival of the portrait in the summer and to be able to tell the story of Richard III and his connection to York in this new display.”

The exhibition will mark the reopening of the Yorkshire Museum for the first time since March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Richard III display had been originally planned to open in summer 2020.

A programme of events will run alongside the arrival of the loan, with more details to follow.

 

ENDS 

 Notes to editors: 

National Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery has been collecting portraits of men and women who have made a significant contribution to British life and history since 1856.

COMING HOME has been made possible by the National Portrait Gallery, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, generous contributions from The Thompson Family Charitable Trust and funds raised at the Gallery’s Portrait Gala in 2017.

Visit npg.org.uk to find out more about COMING HOME

#PortraitsComingHome

 

Garfield Weston Foundation  

Established over 60 years ago in 1958, the Garfield Weston Foundation is a family-founded, grant-making charity which supports causes across the UK with grants around £70million annually. It has donated over £1billion to charities since it was established. 

One of the most respected charitable institutions in the UK, the Weston Family Trustees are descendants of the founder and they take a highly active and hands-on approach. The Foundation’s funding comes from an endowment of shares in the family business which includes Twinings, Primark, Kingsmill (all part of Associated British Foods Plc) and Fortnum & Mason, amongst others – a successful model that still endures today; as the businesses have grown so too have the charitable donations.

From small community organisations to large national institutions, the Foundation supports a broad range of charities and activities that make a positive impact in the communities in which they work. More than 1,800 charities across the UK benefit each year from the Foundation’s grants.

 

Art Fund  

Art Fund is the national fundraising charity for art. In the past five years alone Art Fund has given £34 million to help museums and galleries acquire works of art for their collections. Art Fund is independently funded, with the core of its income provided by 139,000 members who receive the National Art Pass and enjoy free entry to over 240 museums, galleries and historic places across the UK, as well as 50% off entry to major exhibitions and subscription to Art Quarterly magazine. In addition to grant giving, Art Fund’s support to museums includes Art Fund Museum of the Year (won by St Fagans National History Museum near Cardiff in July 2019) and a range of digital platforms. www.artfund.org