London's National Gallery makes history with portrait of queer family

London's National Portrait Gallery adds same-sex family portrait to its permanent collection.

On March 5, London's National Portrait Gallery accepted a work from American photographer Catherine Opie's exhibition "To Be Seen" into its permanent collection: the portrait features singer Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, their sons Zachary (15) and Elijah (13), and their two Labradors — Joseph and Jacob. The addition of a same-sex family to the permanent collection of one of Britain's most prestigious national cultural institutions is a landmark event in terms of the public visibility of LGBTQI+ families.

The title of Catherine Opie's exhibition, "To Be Seen," is a statement in itself. The photographer took the portrait in December 2025, three days before Christmas, during a dinner party at Elton John's family home in Old Windsor.

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