A vibrant tapestry that celebrates the essential but sometimes unappreciated work of refuse collectors is to go on display alongside portraits of high-profile figures such as Stormzy and Andy Murray when the refurbished National Portrait Gallery reopens this summer.
The tapestry, titled John Barry, O Kelly, Sonny and Richard Moore after the four essential workers it depicts, is by the Kenyan-born artist Michael Armitage, whose painting of the same name was commissioned by the Southbank Centre during the Covid pandemic. It has now been acquired by the NPG.
“This tapestry is about community and the workers in the community that go largely unseen. It gives me great pleasure to know that these workers will be recognised in a public space in the heart of London,” said Armitage.