Facing History: Contemporary Portraiture

How artists see themselves and us has captivated the public for centuries. Here the V&A brings together the works of 20 artists including Julian Opie, Grayson Perry, Thomas Ruff, Maud Sulter and Gavin Turk to form an overview of contemporary portraiture. From colour photographs and woodcuts to etchings and cut paper silhouettes the display highlights the continued influence of traditional methods of representation such as miniatures, medals and death masks – the show will include an eerie depiction of Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston both as himself and as he embodies his TV persona. Here fictional characters, real sitters and the artist self-portrait hang next to each other to create fascinating impressions.