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Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens

Start Date 20 June 2024
End Date 08 September 2024
Venue National Portrait Gallery
Location London, UK
Curator Charlotte Bolland
Costume for Catherine of Aragon from ‘Six: The Musical’, 2020, designed by Gabriella Slade. Displayed in ‘Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIlI’s Queens’ at The National Portrait Gallery, London. The costume is mostly black and gold. Puff shoulders of gold and black tights, with black shoes.
Costume worn by Joan Sutherland in the Royal Opera production of ‘Anna Bolena’, designed by John Pascoe, 1988, displayed in ‘Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIlI’s Queens’ at The National Portrait Gallery, London. August 2024. Costume is a pale blue gown with a white floor length trim. The gown is embellished with jewels.
Costume worn by Rosanna Adams as Anna of Cleves in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of ‘The Mirror and the Light’. Designed by Christopher Oram, 2021, displayed in ‘Six Lives: The costume is set in a dark red velvet gown with gold embellishments.

Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens

Free for Members and Patrons

Tudor paintings by Hans Holbein the Younger and contemporary photography by Hiroshi Sugimoto meet in the National Portrait Gallery’s first exhibition of historic portraiture since reopening, presenting a study of the lives and afterlives of the six women who married Henry VIII.

Six Lives chronicles the representation of Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Katherine Parr throughout history and popular culture in the centuries since they lived. As a frequent source of fascination, the stories of the six women have repeatedly inspired writers and artists of all kinds to attempt to uncover the ‘truth’ of their lives: their characters, their appearance and their relationships. From historic paintings, drawings and ephemera, to contemporary photography, costume and film, the exhibition draws upon a wealth of factual and fictional materials to present the life, legacy and portrayal of six women who forever changed the landscape of English history.

Download the large-print exhibition guide (PDF)

Download our digital guide on Bloomberg Connects to unlock audio commentary on the Six Lives exhibition.

Images courtesy of Chloe Gamble.