Sir Thomas Lawrence

London's National Portrait Gallery and the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, USA, have organised a major exhibition of over 50 artworks by Sir Thomas Lawrence, the finest English portrait painter of his day. Thomas Lawrence: Regency Power and Brilliance is the first UK exhibition of his work for 30 years, bringing together his greatest paintings and drawings from public and private collections around the world. It runs from 21 October to 23 January 2011, then moves to the USA. The admission price is the only bad news: £12. Ouch! I've illustrated this post with a double portrait of which Lawrence said "This is my best picture": The Calmady Children (1823). CLICK for a recently discovered self-portrait.