WHAT? Catherine Opie: To Be Seen

WHERE? National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE

WHEN? Now until 31st May

WHY GO? For empowering portraiture. Amongst all the famous and not so famous people Opie has photographed, it’s the new portrait of Sir Elton John and his family that is garnering the most publicity and it hangs proudly (but separately) to the first major exhibition of her work to be shown in the UK.

Opie stands alone as a ground breaking photographer chronicling the visibility of LGBTQ+ through family and friends to portraying images of globally famous names across all walks of life.

“A portrait is a shared moment”, she says of her dedication to building a rapport with her sitters whether they be children, celebrities, sportspeople or even the late Pope Francis, when she gained access to photograph him during her pandemic-era residency at the American Academy in Rome.

Opie’s images are powerful, often shot on bold coloured backgrounds and she never shies away from portraying “those who go unseen” in society.

But, definitely to be seen, is a rare family portrait of Sir Elton John and his family, loud and proud for all to see and evidence of her influence to collaborate with people of influence. “What Elton has done for activism makes it an honour to portray him”, she states as this brand new commission goes on show.

IN THE KNOW Eighty images, spanning some 30 years of Opie’s work are displayed in the main exhibition, while scattered throughout the galleries are a series of her personal favourites which include portraits of David Hockney and Gillian Wearing along with her observations about creating a dialogue with the past and present.