The portrait, depicting a sitter frequently painted the artist, was unveiled by Williams at a reception at Girton College, Cambridge, on 28th September. A recent winner of the inaugural Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award, Williams gave an illuminating talk about the painting and his use of egg tempara to produce a heightened sense of realism, where every surface detail is given almost equal consideration.

The attendees were delighted to hear from distinguished guest speaker, Christopher Baker, formerly director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and now editor of the Burlington Magazine, who discussed the changing nature of public art collections in the 21st Century, as attitudes change about who should be portrayed.

The People’s Portrait Collection is a display of work by members of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, past and present, representing ordinary people from all walks of life, offering a picture of modern Britain.

The collection is housed at Girton College, Cambridge, and is open to the public daily from 9am – 5pm.
www.girton.cam.ac.uk/about-girton/art-artefacts/peoples-portraits

Antony Williams RP, Birton College Unveiling