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National Portrait Gallery acquires Charli xcx image as new album tops chart
Developed over time first seen 4 months ago
The National Portrait Gallery has acquired a 2023 portrait of Charli xcx by photographer Harley Weir, adding the pop star to its collection as her new album, Music, Fashion, Film, sat at No 1 in the UK's midweek chart. Senior curator Brandei Estes described Charli as "one of the defining cultural figures of her generation", with the image, one of the key visuals of her era-defining 2024 album Brat, going on show in the gallery's History Makers Now space, its purchase funded by a gift from the Bukhman Foundation.
Music, Fashion, Film, released on Friday, was on course to become Charli's fourth UK No 1 and second of the year, following February's chart-topping Wuthering Heights soundtrack, running ahead of releases from Snow Patrol, Shania Twain and the Strokes. She also released three surprise B-side tracks over the weekend, while the album track Camera nods to her growing film career, which includes roles in Erupcja, 100 Nights of Hero and Sacrifice; she is next set to appear in projects including a film from director Takashi Miike, before headlining Reading and Leeds festival and touring North America in the autumn.
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In short
- Charli xcx portrait by Harley Weir joins National Portrait Gallery collection
- New album Music, Fashion, Film led UK's midweek chart
- Could become her fourth UK No 1, second this year
How this story developed
- 4 months ago Coverage of the acquisition was refined to note that Charli's expanding film slate includes an upcoming project directed by Takashi Miike, a detail not specified in the initial report.
- 4 months ago The National Portrait Gallery has acquired Harley Weir's 2023 portrait of Charli xcx, timed to her new album Music, Fashion, Film topping the UK's midweek chart alongside three surprise B-side releases.
Where outlets differ
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- Charli XCX photo purchased by National Portrait GalleryBBC Entertainment
Only here: photo, purchased
Every side used: national, portrait, gallery, charli
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Explained simply
Charli xcx, the stage name of British singer Charlotte Aitchison, has spent the past couple of years moving from cult favourite to mainstream pop star, largely on the back of her 2024 album Brat, which became a wider cultural phenomenon known for its lurid green artwork and slang term "brat summer". The National Portrait Gallery in London holds portraits of notable British figures, and its decision to acquire a photograph of her marks a formal recognition of her cultural standing alongside more traditional subjects.
The gallery's move coincides with the release of her follow-up album, Music, Fashion, Film, which has quickly risen to the top of the UK charts. Charli xcx has built a career blending pop music with a distinctive visual and fashion identity, and has more recently branched into acting in films.
Together, the two developments reflect how an artist once seen as a niche pop figure has become established across music, fashion and now art institutions, with her commercial chart success and cultural recognition arriving in the same week.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Charli xcx portrait added to National Portrait Gallery collection”.