The newest portrait at the National Portrait Gallery in London, commissioned jointly by the Wellcome Trust, is a DNA portrait of geneticist Sir John Sulston. The portrait is by Marc Quinn, the young artist who became famous for his sculpture 'Self', which was made from his own deep-frozen blood. Sulston donated his sperm for the work, from which a sample of DNA was taken. This was put in agar jelly and bacterial cultures were grown to make the image which is framed in stainless steel to represent a sterile, scientific environment.
Meanwhile, this week will see the erection of a 370 foot long hoarding around the new headquarters of the Wellcome Trust. The hoarding will feature a painting by New York artist Jason Middlebrook, inspired by the sequencing of the human genome. The original 36 foot long painting will be displayed inside the Wellcome building on Euston Road.
Sources and References
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When is a portrait not a portrait?
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Gallery puts DNA in the frame
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Giant genome artwork brightens up London
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