Jacob Epstein
- Artist: Sir Jacob Epstein
- Date: 1959
- Medium: bronze
- Dimensions: 19 3/4 in. x 10 5/8 in. (502 mm x 270 mm) overall
- Portrays: Sir Jacob Epstein
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
Bronze head of Jacob Epstein, finished in 1959, stands before us. Its size—about 20 inches long by just over ten inches wide—lets the eye linger on the details. The surface carries a rough, dynamic finish that became Epstein’s hallmark for later portrait busts. It grew from an earlier study dated 1912; this version adds subtle light and shadow gestures that animate his face. He once said self‑portraiture was “what one sees and not what one knows”, a truth the head reflects in its balanced observation and expressive surface.
See it in person
Jacob Epstein 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.
