People's Portraits at Girton College

Exhibition

OPEN: Daily 9am-5pm. Admission is FREE.
School visits welcome, please contact us to make an appointment.

People from different walks of life – including the Lifeboatmen of Fowey, a beekeeper, and a Brazilian dancer - are captured on canvas in this unique exhibition housed at Girton College.
The People’s Portraits collection reflects a cross-section of people’s lives in the United Kingdom at the beginning of the 21st Century, and is rich in its diversity of subjects and styles. The high calibre of the artists, all of whom are members of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters (RP), makes this one of the UK’s hidden jewels in the portraiture world.
The collection originated in a millennial exhibition mounted by the RP, which toured England in 2000. In 2002, it came to reside in the beautiful surrounds of Girton College. This arresting and original exhibition is continually growing thanks to the ongoing generosity of RP members who donate a portrait to the collection each year.

Please note: 10 portraits from the People's Portraits exhibition will be on display at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2023, which runs from 4th May to 13th May, at the Mall Galleries, London. These portraits will come down on Thursday 27th April (late afternoon) and will return to the College in mid-May. We apologise for any inconvenience.