National Portrait Gallery accused of nepotism over Zoë Law exhibition
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The photographer’s exhibition, which features images of Noel Gallagher, took place after donation to the gallery’s £40m makeover. The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) has been accused of nepotism after it hosted a photography exhibition by a large donor to its £40m makeover.
![[Noel Gallagher attends the Zoë Law exhibition.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/bca9c029e3438e30f058a0d1c80ae2789ed6e880/0_131_4131_2479/master/4131.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Zoë Law’s work is on display until 2 March in the Studio Gallery and Spotlight Space, with the organisation also acquiring her portrait of Noel Gallagher for its permanent collection. In late November, the NPG launched Legends, a show by the makeup artist turned photographer, which featured images picked from more than 100 portraits she had taken over the last decade. Sienna Miller, Kim Cattrall and Orlando Bloom were among those who sat for her.
She was married to Andrew Law, the Caxton hedge fund manager, and their trust, the Law Family Charitable Foundation is listed as a key donor toward the NPG’s £41.3m refurbishment. Zoë resigned as a trustee in June last year amid their divorce. When the Legends exhibition was announced, she said that it was “a lasting legacy that all portrait photographers and artists dream of”, but cultural figures expressed surprise at the prominent showing for “pedestrian” work – calling the exhibition “difficult to defend” and “obviously unethical”.
