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The Naked Portrait is a bold and innovative exhibition which sets out to explore the genre of naked portraits, looking at nearly 200 works from 1906 to 2006. The exhibition takes place across two floors of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and explores the many ways in which artists have drawn, painted, printed, sculpted and photographed the naked body.

The show will feature a selection of works, including photography and painting, by a wide range of artists. From well-known figures such as Egon Schiele, Lucian Freud, Diane Arbus, Gilbert & George and Tracey Emin to lesser-known photographers and painters; as well as famous sitters including Marilyn Monroe, Rudolf Nureyev and John Lennon.

Collection Artist(s)

Glossary

  • Genre

    In a specialised sense this term refers to the portrayal of everyday life, and refers to painting; more broadly it means the subject types covered by an artist.

    The 17th Century French Academy decreed that there were five main genres an artist should study. These were History, Portrait, Genre, Landscape and Still Life. History was considered the most important as it portrayed Man in his most noblest endeavours and in his relationship with God; Still Life the lowest as it dealt with the moribund and innate.

  • Painting

    Work of art made with paint on a surface. Often the surface, also called a support, is a tightly stretched piece of canvas, paper or a wooden panel. Painting involves a wide range of techniques and materials, along with the artist's intellectual concerns effecting the content of a work.