Stephen William Hawking

© National Portrait Gallery, London. Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

How you can use this image

This image can be used for non-commercial research or private study purposes, and other UK exceptions to copyright permitted to users based in the United Kingdom under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised. Any other type of use will need to be cleared with the rights holder(s).

Review the copyright credit lines that are located underneath the image, as these indicate who manages the copyright (©) within the artwork, and the photographic rights within the image.

The collection that owns the artwork may have more information on their own website about permitted uses and image licensing options.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

Mathematician and theoretical physicist. Since 1979 Hawking has been Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, a post famously held by Sir Isaac Newton. His early research on relativity led him to study the Big Bang, the creation of the universe and black holes. From the 1960s Hawking has suffered from a progressive neuromotor disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), causing him severe disability. He uses a wheelchair and speaks through an electronic voice synthesizer. He continues to work and has produced several best-selling science books including A Brief History of Time (1988), Black Holes and Baby Universes (1993) and The Universe in a Nutshell (2001). In the 1980s, encouraged by Margaret Gowing (who was both a Trustee and an historian of science), the Gallery embarked on an active policy of commissioning portraits of scientists, on the grounds that science and technology make a contribution to British culture which is not always well understood by the general public.

National Portrait Gallery, London

London

Title

Stephen William Hawking

Date

1985

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 91.4 x W 71 cm

Accession number

5799

Acquisition method

Commissioned, 1985

Work type

Painting

Tags

See a tag that’s incorrect or offensive? Challenge it and notify Art UK.

Help improve Art UK. Tag artworks and verify existing tags by joining the Tagger community.

National Portrait Gallery, London

St Martin’s Place, London, Greater London WC2H 0HE England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue