Windrush Generation portraits commissioned by King Charles to be displayed at the National Portrait Gallery

If you’d recently caught the excellent Windrush: Portraits of a Generation documentary on BBC Two, click here to watch in iPlayer, then you may have awareness already of these excellent portraits, and now we’re very honoured to share the news that 10 portraits from the Royal Collection showing pioneers of the Windrush Generation will go be displayed at the National Portrait Gallery from 9 October 2023 to 1 April 2024.

Painted by leading Black artists, including Sonia Boyce OBE, Amy Sherald and Honor Titus, Windrush: Portraits of a Pioneering Generation, was commissioned by His Majesty The King, when Prince of Wales, and deservedly links up with the 75th anniversary of HMT Empire Windrush’s arrival at Tilbury Docks.

These portraits offer unique, individual looks at people from the generation of British Caribbean citizens, some whom had fought in the Second World War and others answering the call to re-build Britain after the war, and travelled to the UK – known as the ‘Motherland’ – between 1948 and 1971, and have all given a positive and pioneering contributions to the United Kingdom.

The ten portraits include depictions of Delisser Bernard by Honor Titus; Alford Gardner by Chloe Cox; Linda Haye OBE by Shannon Bono; Edna Henry by Amy Sherald; Carmen Munroe OBE by Sonia Boyce OBE; Gilda Oliver by Clifton Powell; Professor Sir Godfrey (Geoff) Palmer OBE by Derek Fordjour; Laceta Reid by Serge Attukwei Clottey; John (Big John) Richards by Deanio X; and Jessie Stephens MBE by Sahara Longe.

The ten sitters, mostly in their 90s from around the country, were invited to sit for their portraits by the Windrush Portraits Committee, appointed by His Majesty and chaired by Baroness Floella Benjamin OM DBE. The other members of the Committee were Paulette Simpson CBE, Rudolph Walker CBE and Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin MBE. The project was also supported by the Royal Drawing School. Undertaken by Black artists personally selected by His Majesty, the portraits honour the accomplishments of the Windrush Generation, men and women who took up jobs in areas such as industry, transport and the NHS, often facing discrimination as they navigated living in a new country and pursued their dream of a better life for their families. The faces of these sitters are a powerful reminder of personal resilience, determination and the positive impact of diversity across Britain.

Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, had this to say:

“In this anniversary year, we are delighted to be opening two displays in unison, celebrating the positive impact of the Windrush Generation and the influence of Caribbean culture in Croydon. Thank you to His Majesty and Royal Collections Trust for entrusting us with these ten poignant portraits in this 75th anniversary year, and to the Museum of Croydon, who have worked so closely with us both since and in the lead up to the Gallery’s reopening.”