Portrait Added to National Portrait Gallery Collection
The National Portrait Gallery has acquired a portrait of pop star Charli XCX, taken in 2024 by British photographer Harley Weir. The image shows the singer leaning against a wall in a white crop top and unbuttoned black jeans, becoming a key visual associated with her critically acclaimed 'Brat' album era. The portrait became one of the defining images of the Brat era, which saw Charli transform from cult favourite to mainstream superstar. The gallery noted that the portrait matches the music's debauched swagger and emotional candour.[S1][S2][S3]
The gallery noted that Weir's 'distinctive, intimate visual style merges fashion, documentary, and fine art photography.' The photo is on display in the gallery's History Makers Now space (Room 33), dedicated to figures shaping contemporary culture. The acquisition was funded by a gift from the Bukhman Foundation as part of the 'Collecting the Now' initiative, supported by a £1 million contribution. Anastasia Bukhman, co-founder of the foundation, said it was 'an honour to support exceptional public institutions such as the National Portrait Gallery as they respond to the present while preserving the past.'[S1][S3][S4]
A Defining Cultural Figure
Brandei Estes, the gallery's senior curator of photographs, praised the acquisition: 'Harley Weir has developed a distinctive photographic language that combines intimacy with a powerful sense of presence. We are delighted to acquire this striking portrait of Charli XCX, which captures one of the defining cultural figures of her generation.'[S1][S2][S4]
The gallery described Charli as 'one of the defining artists of our time,' highlighting her career of reinvention and influence on music and visual culture. She has earned multiple Brit and Grammy Awards. Beyond music, she is a defining presence in fashion and contemporary image-making, and has expanded into film, acting in projects with directors including Takashi Miike, Gregg Araki, and Cathy Yann. She also writes, produces, and scores film projects. She recently appeared in the Polish arthouse drama 'Erupcja' and the mockumentary 'The Moment'.[S1][S2][S4]
New Album and Chart Success
Charli's latest album, 'Music, Fashion, Film', was released on Friday to largely positive reviews. The New York Times called it 'proudly prickly and satisfyingly scuzzy,' while DIY magazine described the 29-minute record as a 'candid, introspective triumph.' It is on course to top the UK album chart, which would be her fourth UK number one and her second this year, following her 'Wuthering Heights' soundtrack in February. The Official Charts Company reported that the album was on course to fend off competition from Snow Patrol, Shania Twain and The Strokes.[S1][S2]
Over the weekend, she released three B-sides on iTunes: 'I Keep on Thinking Bout You Every Single Day and Night', 'Playboy Bunny', and 'If You Take Away the Music Then What Has She Got?' She had initially resisted putting them on streaming but acquiesced after fan demand, writing on Instagram that she 'begrudgingly' put them on iTunes.[S1][S2]
Charli is set to headline the Reading & Leeds festival next month, followed by a North American tour in September and October. She is also expanding into film acting, with roles in several upcoming projects including the comedy thriller 'The Gallerest' and a remake of the 1978 horror movie 'Faces of Death'. She is starring in and producing a new film by Japanese director Takashi Miike.[S1][S2]
