Paintings on display at National Portrait Gallery

Three of Leonard McComb’s finest portraits are now on display at the world-famous National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in Trafalgar Square, London.

In his 1999 portrait of the acclaimed novelist Doris Lessing, commissioned by the NPG, McComb was challenged by the ornate background - based on a nomadic carpet - and felt at times like changing it for a simple one but he said afterwards ‘I kept with it and I’m glad I did’.

The striking portrait of Alfie Howard is one that nobody will be able to miss, measuring no less than 96 x 72 inches. Painted against the backdrop of Lambeth Bridge in 2003, McComb had met Howard on the London underground on the way to the Lord Mayor’s banquet. Howard wears an elaborate uniform he hand-embroidered with the repeated heraldic shield of Lambeth, a task that took 500 painful hours with his arthritic hands.

The third of this exclusive set of oil on canvas paintings – gifted by his sister Anne to the NPG along with the portrait of Alfie Howard – is the stunning self-portrait from 2002. The self-portrait clearly illustrates McComb’s unique style, which originates from his observation that people had the capacity 'to radiate energy like the effect of a stone thrown into a still pond'. This informed his distinctive mark-marking where repeated lines made with a sable brush built up richly patterned surfaces that vibrate with light, a technique visible in the three works shown here.

The three paintings can be admired in a prestigious position at the Gallery in Room 33 – the former Royal Landing! Make sure you visit next time you’re in the capital!