London

All the best exhibitions create an emotional response in the viewer and the just-opened <a href="https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2025/face-magazine/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Face Magazine: Culture Shift</a> exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery delivers all the feels. While it leaves you in no doubt that one of the country’s most influential magazines had a defining impact on the UK’s creative scene from the 80s into the 00s, launching the careers of photographers, musicians, stylists and models who went on to become household names, that’s not the only reason you&#8217;ll respond. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="784" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/290_Catalogue_The-Face_Volume-2-No7_1989_ENB_V2_QC_F300-784x1024.jpg" alt="Jazzie B at The Face exhibition " class="wp-image-9641" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/290_Catalogue_The-Face_Volume-2-No7_1989_ENB_V2_QC_F300-784x1024.jpg 784w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/290_Catalogue_The-Face_Volume-2-No7_1989_ENB_V2_QC_F300-230x300.jpg 230w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/290_Catalogue_The-Face_Volume-2-No7_1989_ENB_V2_QC_F300-768x1002.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/290_Catalogue_The-Face_Volume-2-No7_1989_ENB_V2_QC_F300-1177x1536.jpg 1177w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/290_Catalogue_The-Face_Volume-2-No7_1989_ENB_V2_QC_F300.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 784px) 100vw, 784px" /></figure>



It’s the nostalgic images and videos of club kids dancing, wearing wild fashion and generally having the time of their lives uncensored that make the heart soar, and also break a little &#8211; it&#8217;s hard not to compare the unplugged hedonists of the past with today&#8217;s screen teens. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ok-now-i-m-intrigued-tell-me-more">Ok now I’m intrigued, tell me more…</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/FACE-33-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-9638" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/FACE-33-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/FACE-33-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/FACE-33-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/FACE-33.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © David Parry/ National Portrait Gallery</figcaption></figure>



From the moment you step into the exhibition you&#8217;re immersed in The Face&#8216;s trailblazing vibe, with two walls covered from top to bottom with dozens of iconic magazine covers. It&#8217;s mesmerising &#8211; Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher looking moody, Kylie Minogue in mirrored sunglasses, sultry Sade and supermodel Kate Moss in a feathered headdress launching the arrival of the 3rd Summer of Love way back in 1990.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="787" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/341_KimWilde-787x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-9635" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/341_KimWilde-787x1024.jpg 787w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/341_KimWilde-231x300.jpg 231w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/341_KimWilde-768x999.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/341_KimWilde-1180x1536.jpg 1180w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/341_KimWilde.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 787px) 100vw, 787px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Kim Wilde at The Face exhibition </figcaption></figure>



The rest is a journey through time. The Face was launched in 1980 by journalist Nick Logan who had spotted a gap in the market for a decent music mag. If you’re into all things 80s you’re going to love the start of the exhibition, which includes black and white images of bands like The Jam, vivid colour prints of glam singers like Kim Wilde and features such as The Cult With No Name about London’s underground nightlife scene based around the New Romantics.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="771" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/PXL_20250307_173554188.MP_-1024x771.jpg" alt="The Face exhibition " class="wp-image-9634" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/PXL_20250307_173554188.MP_-1024x771.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/PXL_20250307_173554188.MP_-300x226.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/PXL_20250307_173554188.MP_-768x578.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/PXL_20250307_173554188.MP_.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



You&#8217;ll discover that it quickly transformed from music mag to lifestyle mag, the first of its kind in the UK to incorporate politics, street-style fashion and art too. Yet the thing that really set it apart was the fact that it was driven primarily by the kids creating the culture, rather than the establishment or advertising, giving it an authenticity that’s hard to imagine in today’s climate.&nbsp;



This editorial freedom meant moulds could be broken, such as photographer Corinne Day’s images of Kate Moss which changed the face of fashion, or the infamous Love Sees No Colour issue in 1992 which featured a cover of pop star Boy George above a headline that screamed “FIGHT BACK! don’t let the bigots grind you down’. Incidentally, The Face featured black models way before they had become visible on the world&#8217;s catwalks and advertising campaigns. 



The end of the exhibition centres around what now for youth culture? If you&#8217;re interested in finding out the answer, The Face <a href="https://theface.com/tag/1980s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">relaunched in 2019</a>, albeit primarily online (with a quarterly print version) which is only to be expected from a magazine that has always had its finger on the pulse of societal trends. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-will-i-enjoy-this-if-i-ve-never-read-the-face-nbsp">Will I enjoy this if I’ve never read The Face?&nbsp;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="786" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/065.1_THEFACE_v1-CMYK-786x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-9636" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/065.1_THEFACE_v1-CMYK-786x1024.jpg 786w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/065.1_THEFACE_v1-CMYK-230x300.jpg 230w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/065.1_THEFACE_v1-CMYK-768x1000.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/065.1_THEFACE_v1-CMYK-1180x1536.jpg 1180w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/065.1_THEFACE_v1-CMYK.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 786px) 100vw, 786px" /></figure>



Absolutely. Anyone with an interest in photography, fashion, art and music is going to appreciate the creativity on display, plus it’s a history lesson too.&nbsp;



It was during the mid 90s that the mag arguably made its biggest impact. The Brit pop Blur V Oasis years when the Spice Girls were taking over the world, New Labour was in power and Young British Artists like Damien Hirst were selling their work for millions &#8211; looking back at the impactful images and features from those times is fascinating regardless of whether you lived through them.&nbsp;



The sheer beauty of the styling and photography throughout is pretty breathtaking too. A black and white image of a young Naomi Campbell gazing at the camera in a white T-shirt and Adidas trainers stops you in your tracks, ditto fashion designer Alexander McQueen staring at the camera with bloodshot eyes, a haunting image even before his later suicide.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-verdict-nbsp">Verdict&nbsp;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="784" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/245_Catalogue_The_Face_June_1990_Madona_Cover_Mondino_v1_QC_F300-784x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-9639" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/245_Catalogue_The_Face_June_1990_Madona_Cover_Mondino_v1_QC_F300-784x1024.jpg 784w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/245_Catalogue_The_Face_June_1990_Madona_Cover_Mondino_v1_QC_F300-230x300.jpg 230w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/245_Catalogue_The_Face_June_1990_Madona_Cover_Mondino_v1_QC_F300-768x1002.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/245_Catalogue_The_Face_June_1990_Madona_Cover_Mondino_v1_QC_F300-1177x1536.jpg 1177w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/245_Catalogue_The_Face_June_1990_Madona_Cover_Mondino_v1_QC_F300.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 784px) 100vw, 784px" /></figure>



It captures the essence of The Face. Buying the magazine used to feel like being part of a counter culture &#8211; students like me from provincial towns would pour over it and lust after the fashion, music, people and places &#8211; and this really comes across.&nbsp;



One section plastered with images of clubbers is titled ‘You’re not going out dressed like that…’ accompanied by a hypnotic video that I found hard to drag myself away from thanks to the unmistakable beat of Underworld’s Born Slippy and images of kids in queues for clubs and dancing and grinning like loonies beneath strobes lights.



In an era when we danced until the sun came up, but rarely bothered to take pictures of ourselves doing it, seeing the images and videos that captured such an empowering, innovative time can’t help but feel nostalgic and special.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="979" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-11-at-12.52.20-1024x979.png" alt="" class="wp-image-9637" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-11-at-12.52.20-1024x979.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-11-at-12.52.20-300x287.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-11-at-12.52.20-768x734.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-11-at-12.52.20.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The merch is irresistible </figcaption></figure>



Oh and be warned, the merchandise in the shop at the end is extremely desirable, including a glossy coffee table book of highlights from the exhibition and Hotlips by Solange rings (IYKYK).&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2025/face-magazine/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Face Magazine: Culture Shift</a> at the National Portrait Gallery runs until 18 May, 2025; tickets £23.

First look! The Face Magazine: Culture Shift, National Portrait Gallery

You may also like