Caroline Walker
Theatre, 2021
The National Portrait Gallery
Edinburgh, EH2 1JD
Congratulations to the National Galleries of Scotland on the acquisition of Caroline Walker's painting ‘Theatre', a giant portrait of NHS workers in an operating theatre.
With her forensic attention to detail and always deft handling of light, Caroline Walker pays tribute to the care and expertise of the medical team and brings a kind of public grandeur to this most intimate of moments. ’Theatre’ is a painting in which Walker extends her commitment to picturing lesser-seen women’s work, and also an astonishing reflection on the first moments of motherhood. Above all, this is a portrait of an experience that is instantly recognisable to many, but which is rarely, if ever, reflected in paint. We are thrilled that it is now hanging (and looking resplendent) in the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.
A huge thank you to everyone who has made this possible, especially the TiA collection, Stephanie Straine and the curators at the National Gallery of Modern Art.
