Festivals and Films

Bridget Riley: From Life

From 19 Oct 2010 to 19 Mar 2011

Until 20 March 2011. The National Portrait Gallery displays 15 portrait drawings made by Bridget Riley during her time as an art student at Goldsmiths, London.

Riley is internationally famous as the leading exponent of the Op Art movement, an abstract artform which originated in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. Often painted in black and white, Op Art's intricate, geometric graphic designs which trick and dizzy human sight can cause disorientation and even nausea after prolonged viewing.

The paintings on show in this exhibition feature portraits of the artist's family, friends and models. They illuminate a hitherto unacknowledged aspect of her work and emphasize the important role that a strong technical ability in drawing played in her later career.