The exhibition is on display until the 18th May 2025.
The Guardian: ***** “The Face was loud, left-field, and unabashedly British. Its fervour could also be a little bombastic and, at times, this nostalgia-soaked exhibition starts to navel gaze – especially in the section dedicated to the present day (the magazine relaunched in 2019). But there’s no denying the energy in the rooms, soundtracked to hits by Neneh Cherry, Elastica and Daft Punk that play out from a montage film at the exhibition’s entrance. The Face had achieved mythological status before it folded in 2004. And by then, the youth were in thrall to a new thing: the internet.”
Time Out: **** “Just about every UK pop culture icon of the last 40 years is present, among plenty of eye-popping and properly creative fashion shoots, and youthful, hedonistic, wonderfully British street photography.”
The Upcoming: ***** “When The Face paused publication in 2004, it left a notable gap in avant-garde fashion journalism. Returning 15 years later in both print and digital formats, the magazine now navigates a profoundly changed media landscape. It’s worth watching what The Face does next as it aims to continue producing truly authentic photography amidst an evolving fashion industry. Matthew Whitehouse, current Editor-in-Chief, discusses The Face’s ongoing opportunity to reshape its legacy. “The Face,” he says, “is a moment in time, a repository of ideas, something to grasp, to hold – youth culture in its most potent form.””
The Independent: **** “This pulsating show at the National Portrait Gallery explores the photographs that defined what was cool in Britain from 1980 to the present.”
Fad Magazine: “Established names continued to share the pages with faces and bodies that challenged conventional beauty ideals. Some of the most exciting displays in the exhibition include examples of more radical and experimental approaches to magazine making. Entirely driven by creative impulse, The Face was the antidote to mainstream fashion glossies that increasingly resembled mail order catalogues.”