LONDON, UK.- The National Portrait Gallery is delighted to unveil a new portrait of Dame Judi Dench by Alessandro Raho. The striking full-length painted portrait, which has been commissioned by the Trustees of the National Portrait Gallery and made possible by JPMorgan through the Fund for New Commissions, went on display at the Gallery from Wednesday 19th January.

One of the most distinguished and versatile actresses of her generation, Dame Judi Dench (b.1934) trained at Central School of Speech and Drama and made her stage debut as Ophelia in Hamlet (1957), the first of many roles for the Old Vic and Royal Shakespeare Company. She has played many of Shakespeare's heroines, amongst which her Viola, Beatrice, Adriana, Imogen and Lady Macbeth were much admired. Work for the National Theatre includes the title role in Cleopatra, Gertrude in Hamlet and Arkadina in The Seagull. On television, Dench co-starred with her husband Michael Williams in the sitcom A Fine Romance (1981-4). Achieving acclaim as a film actress since the 1980s, her notable screen roles include A Room with a View (1985), Tea with Mussolini (1998), The Shipping News (2001), and as "M" in the James Bond movies Golden Eye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World is Not Enough (1999) and Die Another Day (2002). Oscar nominated for performances in Mrs Brown (1997), Chocolat (2001) and Iris (2002) she won the best supporting actress Oscar for her eight on screen minutes as Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love (1998). She has been awarded BAFTA's for best actress in a leading role for her parts in Mrs Brown and Iris and entered into BAFTAs British Academy Fellowship for recognition of her achievements.

Artist Alessandro Raho met Dench at the National Portrait Gallery prior to beginning work with her. In the portrait he attempted to " trap something I saw in her while she waited in the main hall of the National Portrait Gallery, unaware of me". Raho depicts Dench unadorned, without prop or costume, and against a plain white background. This is a reversal of his usual practice of "dressing up" his subjects in theatrical clothes. By presenting Dame Judi as herself rather than in character and in the neutrality of her own clothes we are confronted by her larger than life physical presence and the strength of her gaze.

Alessandro Raho is a British artist who trained at Goldsmiths. Raho, whose portraits have more usually been of family and friends, has a contemporary approach to portraiture but with an awareness of the figurative tradition. Photography is an integral part of his engagement with painting and his portrait of Dench was worked up from a selection of over 200 photographs taken in a single sitting over an hour. The completed work however retains an emphasis on painterly qualities such as broad-brush strokes and soft tonal effect rather than photographic finish. Raho has painted Dench with a strong awareness of the tradition of English theatrical portraits. To accompany the display of his portrait he has selected a group of prints from the collection of the National Portrait Gallery which complements his use of the full-length picture format and highlights the richness of the Gallery's historical collection which has influenced his work.

Dame Judi Dench said: "I was thrilled and very flattered when the National Portrait Gallery said that they wanted to commission my portrait. Alessandro was charming and immediately put me at my ease. It was a pleasure to work with him."

Artist Alessandro Raho said: "For me the picture was possible by casting Dame Judi Dench in a role, just like in a film. Also, to paint a contemporary 'theatrical portrait' was an exciting, and new, prospect. Of course one also attempts to make the painting engaging even to a viewer unaware of her fame."

Sandy Nairne, Director of the National Portrait Gallery said: "Dame Judi Dench is a wonderful subject for a very contemporary portrait by Alessandro Raho. We are most grateful to JPMorgan for making possible another great work in our commissioning programme."

Walter Gubert, Chairman, JPMorgan said: "Through our support of the National Portrait Gallery's Fund for New Commissions JPMorgan is proud to have played a part in making this portrait of Dame Judi Dench possible".