Lines of Feeling, Portrait Drawing Now

Howard’s portrait of Richard Nicoll (acquired in 2019) on view at the National Portrait Gallery, London.

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Lines of Feeling Portrait Drawing Now

“Portrait drawing continues to be a thriving area of artistic practice. This display highlights some of the recent drawing acquisitions made by the National Portrait Gallery. These works, by leading contemporary artists, foreground the emotive qualities of drawings, which are often immediate and accessible.

The definition of what constitutes a drawing is being continually tested by artists and curators. This display brings together pencil and charcoal drawings with those made with more painterly mediums such as gouache and oil stick, and even silk thread.

The materiality of the drawings is explored further in an interactive screen and a new film showing images of Howard Tangye’s multi-layered portrait of the fashion designer, Richard Nicoll, under a microscope.”

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Richard Nicoll was an award-winning fashion designer. He studied at Central Saint Martins, London, where the artist Howard Tangye was an influential tutor. In addition to his eponymous label, he worked with Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton and Topshop, and collaborated on cross-disciplinary projects with artists Linder Sterling and Tim Walker.

Before his premature death in 2016, the year this drawing was made, Nicoll was due to become creative director for Adidas. Tangye’s layered mark making suggests movement and a depth of character. He has said: ‘When I am drawing, I am drawing with feeling because although I am seeing, I am also feeling the body.’ 16 January 2025

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https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/display/2025/lines-of-feeling?_gl=1k6rbwb_upMQ.._gaMTU2NjYwNzA5Ny4xNzgwNDk2MTEx_ga_3D53N72CHJ*czE3ODA0OTYxMTAkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODA0OTYxMTQkajU2JGwwJGgw