Darcey Bussell
- Artist: Allen Jones
- Date: 1994
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 72 in. x 59 7/8 in. (1829 mm x 1521 mm)
- Portrays: Dame Darcey Andrea Bussell
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is a large oil painting by Allen Jones, finished in 1994. The sitter is Dame Darleya Andrea Bussell, ballet dancer and the youngest principal of the Royal Ballet in 1989. In the canvas she stands on her pointe, poised as if after a rehearsal; you can see the slight tilt of her head and the soft focus that gives her face quiet intensity. Jones worked with her for seven evenings, each time following a day’s rehearsal at the Royal Ballet studio. The portrait was commissioned during the height of Bussell’s career, when her popularity helped revive Covent Garden’s fortunes. The artist, known from the 1960s for his vibrant depictions of women, captures the dancer’s elegance with bold oil strokes.
See it in person
Darcey Bussell is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
