National Portrait Gallery set for new learning centre

The National Portrait Gallery will boast a new learning facility when it reopens in June.

The centre, which will be called Mildred and Simon Palley Learning Centre, has been named after the philanthropists who have donated millions of pounds to the Gallery and will compromise of three new studios, a gallery and an outdoor space, all of which will be available to all visitors.

The centre’s studios – The Law Photograph Studio, The Art Studio and The Clore Studio – will host the Gallery’s creative programmes, aimed at developing practical skills and increasing visitors’ access to experts.

“The creation of our new Mildred and Simon Palley Learning Centre has more than doubled the Gallery’s provision for learners, with welcoming and stimulating open studios now available for all to enjoy,” said National Portrait Gallery Director Dr Nicholas Cullinan.

“Visitors will be able to engage with portraiture in ways that just weren’t possible prior to our redevelopment, thanks to the capabilities of the new space.”