Elton John Family Portrait at Gallery
A new, intimate family portrait of Sir Elton John by photographer Catherine Opie is now on display at the National Portrait Gallery. The photo showcases Elton with partner David Furnish, their sons, and two black Labradors — offering a candid look into the musician's home life beyond his stage persona.
This is the first-ever portrait of the Furnish-John family to be publicly displayed or to enter a national collection. The photograph was taken by Catherine Opie at the family's home in Old Windsor just a few days before Christmas. The commission brings together a long-standing artistic relationship; Sir Elton John and David Furnish are avid admirers and collectors of Catherine Opie's work. In a statement, they expressed what a "huge honour" it was to be photographed by her for the nation's gallery. The portrait is stylistically reminiscent of Opie’s seminal "Domestic" series from the 1990s, which intimately portrayed lesbian couples and families in their home environments, giving visibility to underrepresented family structures. Opie is a celebrated American photographer known for documenting LGBTQ+ communities for over three decades. The unveiling of the portrait coincides with the opening of a new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery titled "Catherine Opie: To Be Seen." Following the exhibition, the family portrait will become part of the gallery's permanent collection. Sir Elton and filmmaker David Furnish entered a civil partnership in 2005 and married in 2014. They welcomed their sons Zachary and Elijah via surrogacy in 2010 and 2013, respectively. The director of the National Portrait Gallery, Victoria Siddall, noted the portrait celebrates not only the musician's career but also the "vital humanitarian and philanthropic work that he and David have undertaken." Furnish is the chairman of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which has raised over $650 million.
