We live in a world surrounded by portraits. Loved ones and friends smile from frames in our homes; pictures of famous musicians and celebrities crop up on our Instagram feeds or shine from glossy magazine covers. We encounter portraits everywhere: in places of worship, on billboards, in books, and in newspapers. Portraiture is an art form that has been around for centuries, and its popularity continues today.

Drawing primarily from the BMA’s permanent collection, Ways of Seeing: Portraits brings together various works from the Museum’s collections that consider the many ways artists have represented people from the 1500s to the present day. From a rare Renaissance-era portrait drawing to contemporary photography, this show examines how artists have pictured themselves and others across time.