National Portrait Gallery unveils painting of former Gallery director, Nicholas Cullinan, by Elizabeth Peyton

The National Portrait Gallery has unveiled a new portrait of its former Director, Nicholas Cullinan, by celebrated American artist Elizabeth Peyton. The work was commissioned to mark Dr Nicholas Cullinan’s tenure as Director of the National Portrait Gallery (2015-2024), and has been generously given by the artist to the Gallery. It is now on permanent display in Room 30.

The portrait continues the National Portrait Gallery's longstanding tradition of representing its former directors. Known for her intimate, luminous depictions of her sitters, Peyton brings her distinctive style to this historic lineage. The portrait was done from life with sittings taking place between Paris where the artist is based, and London where the sitter lives.

Peyton and Cullinan grew close whilst working on the artist’s retrospective Elizabeth Peyton: Aire and Angels held at the NPG in 2019-2020. The exhibition, curated by Lucy Wood, was created in close collaboration with the artist and brought to the fore her engagement with historic and contemporary portraiture. Known for her portraits of artists, friends, lovers, actors, activists, athletes, dancers, musicians, queens, princes, politicians and poets, Peyton is one of the most respected portrait painters working today.

“I am truly honoured to have been asked by Nicholas to make this portrait of him and that it will be in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. For me the show I had at the NPG, Aire and Angels was a life highlight as well as the friendship that has grown after it. I hope Nicholas’s vitality, warmth and huge intelligence can be felt in this portrait for a long time to come.” — Elizabeth Peyton