A new portrait of Sir Elton John and his family captured by American photographer Catherine Opie has gone on view at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The work now hangs in room 30, the Mary Weston Gallery, as part of the gallery’s contemporary collection display. It marks the first time that a portrait of Elton John with his husband David Furnish, and his two teenage sons has been exhibited in public. The photograph, taken in 2025, will also be the first portrait of the family to enter a national collection.
The portrait is reminiscent of Opie’s major “Domestic” series (1995–98), in which she tenderly captured lesbian couples and families in their home environments to give visibility to underrepresented family units. Her photograph of the Furnish-John family sees the musician and his husband, David Furnish, along with their sons, Zachary and Elijah, at home in their library in Windsor. They are surrounded by their pet labradors and a wall of filled bookshelves, as well as a selection of antique objects and a sculpture.
“To have our family photographed by Catherine Opie and on display at the National Portrait Gallery is a huge honor. We are huge admirers of her work and proud to have her beautiful and poignant images in our collection,” shared Sir Elton and Furnish in a press statement.
“I arrived at Elton and David’s house three days before Christmas. I met the boys and the dogs and after a great lunch together I made this family portrait of them in their library…For me it represents the humanity of what family can be,” said Catherine Opie.
The unveiling of the work coincides with the opening of “Catherine Opie: To Be Seen,” also at the National Portrait Gallery. The show, which will run from March 5th through May 31st, will feature a survey of the artist’s photographic portraits from the past 30 years. It will be the first major exhibition of her work at an institution in the U.K..
“The National Portrait Gallery’s Collection exists to share portraits of the people who have shaped the history and culture of the UK, from the Tudor times to today,” shared the museum’s director, Victoria Siddall, in a press statement. “The people on our walls, and the stories we tell about them, are a source of inspiration for the millions of people who come through our doors, and particularly the many young people who visit every year.”
