Free exhibition of 51 portraits selected from nearly 1,500 submissions of the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award, touring the UK from London.
The Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026 opens at Derby Museum & Art Gallery on 21 November, and it'll be there until 21 February. It's a touring exhibition, so it's coming to us after a run in London, and it'll head on to Winchester once it leaves Derby.
On the walls you'll find 51 portraits, selected from nearly 1,500 submissions. One of them is Sheikh in Blue (2025) by Gustavo Schossler. The range is part of the point: the award is open to any artist over 18, and it's meant to encourage them to work with portraiture using a wide mix of classical and innovative techniques, with pieces that run from the classic to the contemporary. That means you'll see traditional painting alongside more experimental approaches, all under one roof.
For a bit of context, the Kramer Portrait Award is an internationally recognised competition run by the National Portrait Gallery in London, and it's regarded as one of the most important platforms for portrait painters today. Since it started, it's attracted over 40,000 entries from more than 100 countries, and more than 6 million people have seen the resulting exhibitions. Justin A'Agostino MH, Global CEO of Herbert Smith Freehills, said this year's works stand out for their originality, technical excellence and emotional resonance.
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It's free to visit, so you can drop in whenever suits you between 21 November and 21 February at Derby Museum & Art Gallery, The Strand, Derby DE1 1BS.
