Portrait of Black Rights Pioneer goes on display at Reading Museum
A Paul Robeson photograph has been loaned to the museum by the National Portrait Gallery.
READING MUSEUM, working in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery, has put on display a portrait of the black civil rights pioneer, actor and musical virtuoso Paul Robeson.
The display is part of Reading’s celebration of Black History Month during October. It is also part of a major project developed by London’s National Portrait Gallery. The ‘COMING HOME’ project sees portraits of iconic individuals from the national collection travelling to places associated with their subjects.
Reading Connection
This year marks 60 years since Paul Robeson sang to a large and enthralled audience at Reading Town Hall; a legendary event in Reading’s history of cultural diversity arranged by the Reading and District Association for Peace. The bromide photographic print portrait by Neil Libbert shows Robeson in 1958, the year in which his political activism had forced him to leave the United States and live in exile in the UK.
Cllr Karen Rowland, Reading’s Lead Member of Heritage, Culture and Recreation, said:
“I’m incredibly proud that we are able to bring this important portrait to Reading as part of our Black History Month celebration.
“Besides his incredible legacy in film and music, I believe that Mr Robeson’s message of racial equality, worker’s rights, empowerment and peace-making echoes through time and it has never been more important to reflect upon this. Mr Robeson’s landmark performance 60 years ago in our concert hall was a true manifestation of how Reading has always embraced its diversity.
The National Portrait Gallery has been collecting portraits of men and women who have made a significant contribution to British life and history since 1856.
Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery said:
“We are delighted to lend the Portrait of Paul Robeson to Reading Museum during Black History Month as part of our COMING HOME initiative. We hope that sending portraits ‘home’ in this way will foster a sense of pride and create a personal connection for local communities to a bigger national history; thus helping us to fulfil our aim of being truly a national gallery for everyone, in our role as the nation’s family album.”
For full details of the National Portrait Gallery’s ‘COMING HOME’ project please click www.npg.org.uk/coming-home
To book a visit to Reading Museum click www.readingmuseum.org.uk/welcome-back