Olympic exhibition opens at art gallery - 21/07/2010

The National Portrait Gallery will be displaying photographs and video interviews with people involved in the Olympic Games over the next three years.

Yesterday (July 20th), the first 30 photographs went on display. A total of 100 have been commissioned.

The first part of the exhibition is entitled Road to 2012: Setting Out and artist Brian Griffin and Bettina von Zwehl have created the work on display.

Birmingham artist and screenwriter Griffin photographed the figures who conceived and won the bid for the London Olympics as well as those responsible for designing and building the Olympic Park.

Von Zwhel has taken images of young athletes such as Tom Daley, who will be competing in the Games, World Champions and Olympic and Paralympic medallists.

She told the Guardian: "It was fun, a really challenging experience. They were all incredibly professional and pleasant to work with and they all had a kind of aura with their physique and also what they are able to achieve and do."

Two more exhibitions with portraits from four other commissioned artists will be held in the summer of 2011 and 2012.

Posted by Max Byrne