(21 Jun 2023)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
London, 19 June 2023
1. Various shots exterior old entrance to National Portrait Gallery
2. Pull out wide shot gallery hall
3. Mid shot paintings
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicholas Cullinan, Director, National Portrait Gallery:
"A rehang or a refurbishment, you only do it when you need to do it because it creates disruption and you have to raise money and it creates a lot of work. But you know, like any public building after a number of years, things need to be renewed or repaired or restored, so that's that part of it. And then in terms of the collection, again, that's something that we always want to do, that we elect to do. We're always acquiring for the collection. Uniquely unlike other museums, we commission for the collection, because we want to create a living portrait of Britain."
5. Various shots older works within the gallery
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicholas Cullinan, Director, National Portrait Gallery:
"When we began the project, it all began by listening to our visitors and listening to what they loved about the gallery. You know, I'm one of them - I've known this gallery since I was a child. I worked here 20 years ago when I was a student as a front of house assistant. And there's things that everyone knows and loves about the NPG. It feels a bit different, it feels maybe more human, maybe a bit more quirky. And we wanted to kind of keep that sense of intimacy. But equally there were real issues with the building: there was no step-free access, so if you came with a buggy or a wheelchair, it was very difficult and kind of embarrassing. The lifts didn't connect to the ground floor, but also with the collection there was a perception for a lot of people - because we also spoke to people that had stopped visiting or who had never visited, and we wanted to find out why - and the perception and this is a perception is that, you know, it was full of old, dusty portraits of white men and maybe wasn't relevant."
7. Wide shot; pull-out gallery
8. Wide shot more modern artworks
9. Pull out portrait of King George VI with family
10. Mid shot photos
11. Pan from photos to Princess Diana portrait, pull out
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicholas Cullinan, Director, National Portrait Gallery:
"We've gone from when we closed in 2020, 35 percent of the portraits on our walls were of women, now to 48 percent. We've almost hit gender balance, which is fantastic. And also the same in terms of ethnic diversity. Before it was around 3 percent, now it's gone up to 11 percent you know, and there's still work to do on all these fronts. And as I said, we want the collection to be a fully rounded living portrait of Britain. But we have come on leaps and bounds in the last few years."
13. Various shots modern collection of photos
14. Pan from new entrance to National Portrait Gallery sign
15. Man cleaning new doors
16. Pan down one of the Tracey Emin doors
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicholas Cullinan, Director, National Portrait Gallery:
"Tracey has done a really amazing job. It's so sensitive for the building. But I think what it does is it puts people at ease right away that when you come into the National Portrait Gallery through these very grand, large imposing doors, but there's these beautiful drawings of people that we all recognize and relate to. And I think the one that's so wonderful is the panel that just says 'Mum,' which obviously I'm sure represents her mother, but it also represents all of our mothers, and I think she's done a really amazing job."
18. 'Mum' panel on Tracey Emin's door
19. Pan down door
22. Pan across room with modern portraits
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