Curator’s introduction to the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2024

About

Returning for its 17th year, the exhibition showcases the work of talented young photographers, gifted amateurs and established professionals in the very best of contemporary photography. 

The competition celebrates a diverse range of images and tells the fascinating stories behind the creation of works, from formal commissioned portraits to more spontaneous and intimate moments capturing friends and family.

Clare Freestone has worked at the NPG for two decades. During that time, she has produced many displays and has acquired images for the Gallery’s Collection, which spans the 1840s to the present day. Clare has a particular research interest in the careers of pioneering women throughout the history of photography. She curated Ida Kar: Bohemian Photographer (2011) and wrote the accompanying publication. Her most recent exhibition, Yevonde: Life and Colour (2023), shone a light on an extraordinary and influential woman who gained freedom through photography and blazed a trail for subsequent artists.