The National Portrait Gallery in London is facing scrutiny for putting on an exhibition centered on the photographic work of a donor whose family contributed £40 million (approx. $50 million) to a recent large-scale renovation that ended in 2023.
The exhibition is centered on the photography of Zoë Law, who had donated to the institution through a family foundation in the past. The show, titled “Legends,” features close to a hundred black-and-white portraits of prominent figures in art, fashion, and pop culture, including an image of British musicians Noel Gallagher and Princess Julia, both of which the museum acquired to its permanent collection. Other subjects include British writer Lemn Sissay and designer Ozwald Boateng.
The work, which is presented in the museum’s Studio Gallery and Spotlight Space, will close on March 2.
The photographer cofounded the Law Family Charitable Foundation with her former partner, British hedge fund manager Andrew Law. The organization was listed as a major donor to the museum’s renovation, according to a report published by The Guardian earlier this week.
Law stepped down from the foundation’s board in June 2024 following the couple’s separation.
The gallery’s revamp, one of the most extensive in its history, was overseen by its former director Nicholas Cullinan, who now serves as the director of the British Museum. The National Gallery reopened in 2023 after being closed for three years.
The NPG’s donations policy, which is public, outlines that the institution is legally obligated to avoid conflicts of interest in its financial plans under the UK Bribery Act of 2010. It stipulates that funds from private donors should not result in personal advantages or financial benefits. (Similar conflict of interest policies apply to U.S. museums.)
In response to the Guardian‘s allegations, the London museum affirmed that the show went through an internal due diligence process as other past exhibitions have, denying the museum’s curators and board violated their donations policy. The gallery’s ethics committee approved the donation from the Law Family Charitable Foundation, according to a museum spokesperson.
