Writers Revealed: Treasures from the British Library and National Portrait Gallery, London

Runs from 12th April to 3rd August 2025.
HOTA Gallery, 135 Bundall Rd, Surfers Paradise, QLD 4217, Australia

Alexandra Ault, lead curator of modern archives and manuscripts at the British Library, says the iconic institution is “thrilled to collaborate with the National Portrait Gallery on Writers Revealed, a truly unique exhibition that brings together some of the most exceptional objects from our collections”.

“Visitors will experience rare first editions and exquisite manuscripts alongside celebrated portraits of the writers who created them,” Ault says. “The exhibition features over 70 authors from a diverse range of backgrounds, spanning 500 years of English literature.”

Catharine MacLeod, senior curator of 17th century collections at the National Portrait Gallery, says visitors will be captivated by an intimate glimpse into the personal lives and creative processes of these iconic writers.

“The exhibition features original and priceless manuscripts that reveal the thought processes behind beloved stories, along with stunning portraits that connect us to the individuals behind the words,” she says. “Featuring treasures that rarely leave our gallery in London, this major new exhibition will bring HOTA’s visitors closer to some of the most important figures in English literary history. Encountering these displays, visitors will discover what is revealed and what is hidden when life, writing and portraiture intersect.”

Notable highlights include those handwritten and illustrated letters from J.R.R. Tolkien to his grandson that echo his work in The Lord of the Rings, a diary entry by Lewis Carrol discussing Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Virginia Woolf’s handwritten manuscript for Mrs Dalloway, Jane Austen’s writing desk, and the only portrait likely to have been painted of William Shakespeare during his lifetime.

Co-curators Ault and MacLeod have assembled distinct objects from each collection that tell rich stories about the writers represented.

https://www.indailyqld.com.au/inreview ... eems-like-the-write-stuff