Our next Annual Seminar: Portraits and Social Change
The next Understanding British Portraits Annual Seminar will take place at Ferens Art Gallery, Hull in spring 2027, as part of the national tour of William Dobson’s Self-Portrait, recently saved for the nation.
Taking inspiration from an artwork created during the English Civil War, the seminar will explore how portraits can spark debate around activism, resistance and social change from the 17th century to the present day. It will also consider how archival research, local knowledge and cross-institutional collaboration can bring new perspectives to historic portrait collections, and how these approaches can help connect local stories to wider national narratives.
The seminar will address questions including:
- How can portraits narrate both local stories and themes of national significance?
- How can portrait collections, archival research and local knowledge intersect to present more nuanced accounts of historical events?
- How can interpretation strategies activate traditional portrait collections for contemporary audiences?
- How can portraiture help us explore themes of resistance, resilience and activism?
- How can cross-institutional partnerships enrich perspectives on historic portrait collections?
Who is the event for?
The seminar is designed as a sector-facing, open and inclusive conversation. It will welcome museum and gallery professionals, students, artists, engagement specialists and others with an interest in portrait collections.
The UBP Annual Seminar takes place in a different national hub each year, using local stories to explore issues of wider national significance. Together, we will consider new ways to strengthen the relevance, resonance and social impact of our shared portrait heritage.
About the Dobson Self-Portrait touring programme
William Dobson was Charles I’s official painter and is widely regarded as one of the greatest British portrait painters of the seventeenth century. With support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, major support from Art Fund and the Deborah Loeb Brice Foundation, and additional support from a generous group of trusts, foundations and individuals, Tate and the National Portrait Gallery have jointly acquired this Self-Portrait, the earliest known work by one of the first great British painters.
Dobson’s Self-Portrait is currently on free public display at Tate Britain, where it has been reunited with Dobson’s portrait of his wife. It will then travel to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and Ferens Art Gallery, Hull, before going on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The portrait will subsequently be shared by Tate and the National Portrait Gallery and made available to museums across the UK as part of the national collection.
Full programme to follow in January 2027. To receive updates on this event, join the UBP’s Linked Community: