William Dobson Self-Portrait will bring young people together on UK Tour

On International Youth Day, Tate and the National Portrait Gallery announce a national tour of William Dobson’s Self-Portrait c.1635-40. Focused on bringing together young people across the country, the forthcoming tour will connect this significant 17th century painting to a new generation. Jointly acquired in 2025 by Tate and the National Portrait Gallery, throughout 2027 the portrait will tour to Hull’s Ferens Art Gallery and Oxford’s Ashmolean before returning to London to be shown at the National Portrait Gallery. The tour and supporting programme has been made possible through the support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, alongside generous support from Bjorn Saven CBE, David and Emma Verey Charitable Trust and Tavolozza Foundation.

Currently on display at Tate Britain alongside Dobson’s Portrait of The Artist’s Wife c.1635-40, this October the painting will inspire a free evening of music, workshops and performances, programmed by Tate Collective Producers exclusively for Tate Collective members - Tate’s free-to-join scheme for young people aged 16-25. Working with emerging artists, the programme takes influence from both Dobson portraits to explore ideas of absence and reunion, art and intimacy, comparing portraiture across the last 400 years to spark conversations between centuries. A further new educational resource available to students across the country via Tate Schools, will bring Dobson’s work into classrooms this autumn, encouraging young people to create their own self-portraits exploring identity, pose and expression.

The UK tour of Dobson’s Self-Portrait will follow the journey of the artist’s life and career as it moves around the country. Beginning in London, where Dobson was born and studied to become an artist, the painting will travel to Hull early next year, where the first siege of the city in 1642 marked a major escalation in the conflict between King Charles I and Parliament during the build-up to the First English Civil War. Presented at Ferens Art Gallery from 31 January to 23 May 2027 to celebrate the start of the Gallery’s centenary year, the portrait will form a focal point of Art Uprising!, an exhibition exploring the region’s history of rebellion and creativity.

Young people from The Warren Youth Project will work with a musician to co-produce creative responses to the history of Hull at the time of Charles I, including a soundscape available to listen to alongside the exhibition, connecting Self-Portrait to contemporary practice and perspectives. Returning south, the painting will arrive in Oxford next summer, where Dobson took up a position as the painter for King Charles I’s exiled court. Displayed at the Ashmolean Museum from June to December 2027, here the painting will inspire artist-commissioned family workshops for children and young people. To close the tour, the work will return to London, where Dobson moved following the fall of Oxford and where he lived until his death two months later. Displayed at the National Portrait Gallery from January to July 2028, here it will be shown alongside local stories and contemporary responses, drawing on the experience of young people across the whole tour as part of the display.

William Dobson holds a pivotal place in the story of British art. His painting of himself as a young man was made between 1635 and 1640 in London, before he arrived at the King’s court in Oxford, and is one of the earliest examples of English self-portraiture. An exceptionally rare work, it has an honesty and intimacy that defied the conventions of 17th century British art.

The joint acquisition of the work was made possible thanks to exceptional support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, major support from Art Fund and the Deborah Loeb Brice Foundation, and additional support from the Portrait Fund, the Nicholas Themans Trust, Bjorn Saven CBE, David and Emma Verey Charitable Trust, John J. Studzinski CBE, The Leche Trust, The Murray Family, Tavolozza Foundation and other generous supporters.

Karin Hindsbo, Interim Director, Tate, said: “We are excited to see what young people around the country will produce in response to William Dobson’s remarkable self-portrait, particularly given he was potentially no older than 24 himself when he painted it. Dobson’s life and career are intertwined with an extraordinary period in English history. This tour will both connect that seismic era to the present day and bring this exceptionally important artist’s work to a whole new generation.”

Catharine MacLeod, Senior Curator, 17th-Century Collections at the National Portrait Gallery, said:

“William Dobson’s exceptionally charismatic and compelling self-portrait exemplifies the artist’s skilful and bold painting technique, and is a key work in the history of British portraiture. Since its joint acquisition with Tate, we have been determined to share this painting as widely as possible, and this tour does exactly that. We are enormously grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and all our supporters for making this ambitious partnership possible, and we look forward to welcoming the painting to the National Portrait Gallery in 2028.”

Cllr Jackie Dad, deputy leader for Hull City Council and portfolio holder for culture said: “We are thrilled to be working with the Tate and National Portrait Gallery to bring William Dobson’s self-portrait to Hull as part of the first exhibition that will kick-start the Ferens Art Gallery’s centenary year celebrations. Through the generosity of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we are able to work with young people from The Warren Youth Project to respond musically to the painting and Hull’s rebellious role leading up to the Civil War.”

Dr Xa Sturgis CBE, Director of the Ashmolean Museum, said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming the arresting self-portrait of William Dobson to the Ashmolean almost four centuries after the artist arrived in Oxford to work for King Charles I and his court in exile during the Civil War. The self-portrait of the young British artist setting out on his brief career will hang alongside his intriguing Civil War group portrait painted in Oxford in the last year of his tragically short life and acquired by the Museum ten years ago. We are very grateful to Tate and the National Portrait Gallery for enabling this opportunity to explore the life and career of one of the first great British painters with our audiences.”

Stuart McLeod, Director of England - London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We are delighted to support this exciting tour, which will bring an extraordinary work of art to young people and communities across the country. Thanks to National Lottery players, young people will have an opportunity to not only experience William Dobson’s Self-Portrait but also explore its relevance today through creative projects, collaboration and new interpretations. By connecting young people with heritage in places that shaped Dobson’s life and work, this project will spark curiosity, inspire creativity and help ensure the stories of our past continue to resonate with future generations.”

Notes to Editors

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About Tate Britain
Tate Britain is home to the world’s greatest collection of British art. The gallery’s free displays feature over 800 works by over 350 artists, telling an expansive and diverse story which spans from the 1500s to the present day. Tate Britain welcomes over a million visitors each year to its ever-changing programme of exhibitions, commissions and events. It celebrates key figures in art history and provides a vital platform for the best artists working in Britain today, including through the Turner Prize, Art Now, and the Tate Britain Commission. tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain

About Tate Collective Producers

Tate Collective Producer programme offers young people aged 16-25 opportunities to develop skills, knowledge and experience in creative programming in the museum. Tate Collective Producers work on a range of creative projects designed to connect more young people to museums and art, using Tate’s collection and exhibitions as inspiration. https://www.tate.org.uk/tate-collective/producers

Tate Collective Producers are supported by Gucci through Gucci Changemakers London

About Tate Collective

Tate Collective is a free-to-join scheme for 16-to-25 year-olds with over 190,000 members worldwide. It offers £5 exhibition tickets, discounts in cafés, bars and shops, plus access to exclusive creative opportunities and events.

Tate Collective is supported by The Rothschild Foundation, and Tate Patrons.

About Tate Schools

Tate Schools is designed to bring the nation’s art collection into classrooms across Britain, offering teachers a host of digital resources, tools, activities and lesson plans. The resources are aligned with curriculum goals across primary and secondary education, with a focus on adaptable content that helps spark curiosity and connection. https://www.tate.org.uk/schools/resources/william-dobson

Tate Schools has been made possible by funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Digital Accelerator for Arts and Culture, which supports arts organisations through strategic improvements to technology infrastructure.

About The National Portrait Gallery
Founded in 1856, the National Portrait Gallery tells the story of Britain through portraits, using art to bring history to life and explore living today. From global icons, to unsung heroes, our Collection is filled with the stories that have shaped, and continue to shape a nation. We celebrate the power of portraiture and offer encounters with some of the world’s greatest and most exciting new artists, promoting engagement with portraiture in all media to a wide-ranging public by conserving, growing and sharing the world’s largest collection of portraits.

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About Ferens Art Gallery

The Ferens Art Gallery, Hull, has a magnificent collection of paintings and sculptures, including works by European Old Masters, portraiture, marine painting, and modern and contemporary British art. Highlights include masterpieces by Lorenzetti, Frans Hals, Antonio Canaletto, Frederic Lord Leighton, Stanley Spencer, Helen Chadwick and Gillian Wearing. Gifted to the city by local philanthropist Thomas Ferens in 1927, the gallery and its collection is a jewel in Hull’s civic crown. With a regular programme of changing exhibitions and events, there’s always something new to explore. Admission to the Ferens Art Gallery is free.

About the Ashmolean

The Ashmolean is the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology, founded in 1683. Our world-famous collections range from ancient Egypt to contemporary art, telling human stories across cultures and across time. Admission is free. www.ashmolean.org

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Art Fund connects museums and people with great art and culture through funding, advocacy and initiatives, because access to art is vital for a healthy society. It champions the sector through the prestigious Art Fund Museum of the Year award - the world’s largest museum prize - and supports museum professionals through dedicated training and grant programmes.

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