The National Portrait Gallery in London is commissioning aportrait of Nicholas Serota, who steps down as director of the Tate at the end ofMay. Selecting the artist will only take place after he leaves and has a littlemore time. Unlike most eminent figures who are immortalised for the gallery,Serota knows hundreds of portraitists and will have his own views on who mightbe appropriate. For the chosen artist, it will be a slightly intimidatingprospect to have to capture the features and character of the retiring Tatedirector (unless it is a mega-star, such as David Hockney). Will he feel it should bea British artist for the UK’s National Portrait Gallery? And most fascinatingof all, will Serota opt for a fairly conventional portrait, or go for a moreconceptual artist? Watch this space.
