Jack Arts

The new National Portrait Gallery

London’s National Portrait Gallery has been closed for three years, undergoing a major revamp. Reopened for 2023, the gallery is showing off its famous collection – now rehung, brand new acquisitions including paintings by Peter Blake and photography by Steve McQueen and Annie Leibovitz, and not forgetting some incredible décor like Tracey Emin’s bronze etchings on the entrance doors. 

To mark this momentous occasion, we joined forces with the gallery on a two-phase campaign. The first, projecting some of its famous faces and new brand identity (designed by Edit Brand Studio) on the outside of the gallery to light up St Martin’s Place at night, much to the delight of passers-by. 

Next, we worked with them on an experiential campaign that brought six of the NPG’s most notable ‘sitters’ to life, with look-a-like actors travelling across London encountering people on the street to spark conversation around the gallery’s reopening and its famous collection, as well as being highlighted on Instagram. Sitters included William Shakespeare travelling from the Globe, Horatio Nelson passing his monument in Trafalgar Square, and Dame Christabel Pankhurst at Hyde Park Corner, the site of many Suffragette meetings and rallies, who all convened at the gallery to reunite with their famous portraits – and to enjoy a celebratory cake made by Great British Bake-Off contestant Janusz Domagała.