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Portrait of a director

Mark Glazebrook

Wednesday, 27th February 2008

Mark Glazebrook talks to Sandy Nairne, who explains why the NPG is part of the life of London

David Piper, director of the National Portrait Gallery 1964–67, was a brilliant historian and museum director who, while writing a book called The English Face, found that there’s no such thing. It vanished like the smile on Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire cat.

Piper himself was disinclined to mastermind the much-needed radical reform of a musty old institution — a challenge successfully embraced by his young colleague and successor, Roy Strong. Strong’s Cecil Beaton show, a first for photography, drew previously undreamed of crowds. Today, attendance figures have risen to 1.6 million per annum. In the wake of the far-reaching Strong revolution, the gallery has expanded with the help of generous donors such as Sir Christopher Ondaatje. It seems to have gone from strength to strength, most obviously in its improved display and lighting — under John Hayes, Charles Saumarez Smith and now Sandy Nairne, the director since 2002.

The current NPG chairman David Canadine, in his brief history of the gallery, mentions that Germaine Greer has ‘denounced it as a place of second-rate art — yet its purpose remains primarily historical...’. While many critics complain that much current portrait painting is too photographic, Nairne is bullish about today’s portraitists in many media. ‘I can spot three or four generations of excellent portrait painters who are coming through,’ he says, ‘although they may not be in the forefront of Frieze Magazine.’

He is full of praise for the abilities of many of his colleagues in various departments, which include the historic collections, research, large and small temporary exhibitions, lecture programmes, the publications department and the three outposts of the NPG in Yorkshire, Somerset and North Wales. Their professionalism allows him to concentrate on his own priorities. One of these is building up the portrait fund. ‘It really matters that we build up our ability to acquire great portraits. It’s now up at £2.5 million. I want to get it up to £5.6 and then up towards £10 million.’

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