LONDON.- Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition opens at The Mall Galleries, on view through 13th May. Works on show in this exhibition will include a portrait of the Oscar winning screenwriter Ronald Harewood by Michael Noakes who will also be exhibiting a study of his portrait of Pope Benedict XVI commissioned by the Vatican and an unusual portrait of the noted economist Professor Lord Giddens. Novelist P.D. James (Baroness James of Holland Park), Alwin Harris, artist, sculptor and wife of Rolf and Brenda Gourlay (Open University) are depicted by June Mendoza. June Mendoza’s guest artist is Rolf Harris, who is exhibiting a portrait of the late Sir Kyffin Williams. Politician Boris Johnson is depicted by Felicity Gill, Cricketer Sir Viv Richards by Brendan Kelly while celebrity couple Anthea Turner and Grant Bovey are painted by Richard Foster.

Sergei Pavlenko is exhibiting his painting of the gathering of the royal family when Prince Harry passed out at Sandhurst in April last year. This depicts a unique royal occasion and is the first time this painting can be seen by the public.

Since 1891 the Society has been devoted exclusively to the art and development of portrait painting which, in recent years, has shown a remarkable resilience. The enormous variety in its annual shows both from its members and from the open section make it the perfect destination for those wishing to commission a portrait. Over the last year the Society’s income from commissions has doubled.

A good portrait has a unique intimacy and should capture the character of the sitter. It can sometimes be a reflection of current trends and often has importance as a work of historical record. Its current popularity in an age of photography, film and video is of considerable significance.

Prizes awarded by the Society are the Ondaatjie Prize for Portraiture, the HSBC Investments Prize, the Prince of Wales Award for Portrait Drawing, the Changing Faces Prize and the de Laszlo Foundation Prize.

Over 200 portraits by some 100 artists will be hung in this exhibition. It is one of the year’s top art events which is attended by numerous celebrities. Its popularity is proof of the current interest in portraiture and also in the commissioning of portraits whether by an institution or an individual.