LONDON.- Coinciding with the re-opening of the National Portrait Gallery in London on 22 June, and forming part of their Portrait Mode programme, this summer Sotheby’s will host a celebration of portraiture with a season of exhibitions and events, complementing the traditional marquee auctions of fine art. A genre revered within the grand arc of the Western art historical canon, portraiture has been integral to the way artists tell stories about people, history and culture across the ages.

On 27 June, Sotheby’s will present Face to Face, an evening auction dedicated to the artform of portraiture, offering a tightly curated selection of masterpieces exploring the connections between artist and subjects, alongside the Modern & Contemporary and Now evening sales. Works already consigned for the sale include an exquisite painted bronze by Alberto Giacometti inspired by ancient Egyptian and Greek sculpture, a rare self-portrait by Leonor Fini drawing upon the Old Masters, a painting by Kerry James Marshall presenting a distinctively contemporary vision of portraiture, and a portrait of Angela Merkel by Elizabeth Peyton recently shown at the National Portrait Gallery in an exhibition placing her within the context of historic portraiture.

Standing alongside the evening auction, Portraits from Chatsworth – A Loan Exhibition will be on extended view from 30 May to 4 July. Made possible through generous loans from the Devonshire Collection, this exhibition of seven portraits through the ages, spanning Dutch, British and Italian masters through to a twentieth-century giant, Lucian Freud, reflects the Devonshire family’s passion for collecting and commissioning art and portraiture over five centuries, as well as their dedication to sharing this collection as widely as possible through the work of the Chatsworth House Trust. Displayed in galleries that will feature imagery of the exquisite interiors of Chatsworth House, the exhibition brings to London some of Chatsworth’s treasures and in turn offers a window into this world-renowned and historic collection.

Tom Eddison, Senior Director, Contemporary Art, Sotheby’s London, said: “While the human image has been democratised in our age of iPhones and selfies, the tradition of portraiture runs deep and across many centuries. The National Portrait Gallery on our doorstep in London has played a critical role in narrating British history through the celebrated genre of portraiture. As this popular institution prepares to re-open, there is no better moment in which to spotlight portraiture in our galleries, with a loan exhibition of portraits from Chatsworth thanks to the generosity of Lord and Lady Burlington, and a curated evening sale dedicated to portraiture. This is a genre which remains at the very forefront of collecting sensibilities, and in seasons past Sotheby’s has seen extraordinary results for outstanding portraits. Our evening sale this June is set to be a veritable face to face between artists.”

Jane Marriott, Director of Chatsworth House Trust, said: “The Devonshire family have been collecting works and commissioning great artists and makers for over five centuries, and continue to do so, creating a wonderful journey through Old Master Drawings, landscapes and portraiture including the great Rembrandts, Reynolds and Landseer works to 20th-century masterpieces by Lucian Freud and David Hockney. The story these works tell and the way in which they were commissioned and collected is fascinating, and one we look forward to sharing widely through the work of the Chatsworth House Trust for generations to come.”

Throughout the season, Sotheby’s Story Cafe will exhibit today’s society swans photographed by Luc Braquet in Madame Yevonde’s dreamy style for the July issue of Tatler, a homage to the pioneering London photographer who spearheaded the use of colour photography in the 1930s. Her life and 60-year career will be a highlight of the re-opening programme at the National Portrait Gallery and sponsored by The CHANEL Culture Fund.

Elsewhere, in Sotheby’s London galleries, a newly commissioned portrait of His Majesty King Charles III by Trinidadian artist Sarah Knights will be exhibited publicly for the first time.