Is a self-portrait the original selfie? Our exciting new Amgueddfa Cymru exhibition  Art of the Selfie explores and asks this question, looking at how artists through time, from Rembrandt and Van Gogh to Bedwyr Williams and Anya Paintsil, see and represent themselves.

Throughout history, many artists have used self-portraits as ways to explore their identities and express themselves to the world. Van Gogh painted no fewer than thirty-five self-portraits and so became arguably one of the most recognizable faces in Western art.  This exhibition will feature Van Gogh’s Portrait of the Artist (1887), which is on loan from Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

Joining Van Gogh will be a selection of artists from the national collection of Wales, including

• Rembrandt
• Brenda Chamberlain
• Francis Bacon
• Bedwyr Williams
• Anya Paintsil.

Together they showcase a wide range of different methods and artistic approaches to the concept of the self-portrait.

Self-portraits and selfies are two different things, but they do have something in common – both are used to show who you are as a person. Out of all the ways we document our lives, selfies have become a popular method of self-expression and individualism.

The works on display show the different ways in which artists have chosen to characterize themselves in the same way we present and share images of ourselves today.
How do you see yourself?