Kate Portrait at NPG

Today the National Portrait Gallery in London unveiled the first official painting of HRH The Duchess of Cambridge (2012). NPG commissioned Paul Emsley to paint Catherine's portrait. He has a good track record, having won the BP Portrait Award in 2007 for his depiction of fellow artist Michael Simpson, but I'm afraid he's made a pig's ear of Catherine's portrait. I guess the problem with depicting a photogenic beauty is that you're competing with all the high-quality photos taken of her. Catherine's face is so familiar that anything short of perfection is going to look third rate. The portrait goes on display to the public at the National Portrait Gallery this afternoon (CLICK). You can buy a postcard of the portrait for 70p (CLICK).