Out with the old? Chancellor Rachel Reeves swaps paintings of former prime ministers at No 11 for abstract Covid artworks_Nhy
Rachel Reeves has brought in abstract artworks commemorating the Covid lockdowns to replace paintings of former prime ministers in No 11 Downing Street.
Before Labour came to power, the lavish state room was filled with portraits of monarchs and former chancellors David Lloyd George and Benjamin Disraeli.
But these canvases have now been swapped out by the current head of the Treasury for conceptual depictions of social distancing and Covid anxiety, the Telegraph has reported.
The new pieces, created by artist Donna Coleman, feature a human head formed by a red squiggle and a charcoal swirl fronted by a black square.
These interior changes come after Ms Reeves ordered the removal of all pictures of men from No 11 following Labour’s election victory last summer.
Sir Keir Starmer had also taken down the portrait of Margaret Thatcher from neighbouring No 10 after reportedly finding the image of Britain’s first female Prime Minister ‘unsettling’.
These decision were heavily criticised by the Tories, who described them as ‘pathetic gesture politics’.
The PM sparked further backlash when he removed a portrait of William Shakespeare from the wall, leading to accusations that he was ‘succumbing to the usual Left-wing cringing embarrassment about our past’.
Donna Coleman’s work, titled Covid Anxiety 5 (Mask Disorder), shows a human head formed by a red squiggle and now hangs in the offices of No 11
A marble bust of former Chancellor and Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli by Charles Bell Birch was removed by Rachel Reeves
The interior changes come after Ms Reeves ordered the removal of all pictures of men from the lavish state room following Labour ’s election victory last summer
Incoming ministers are entitled to use any of the 15,000 art works that make up the Government Art Collection to decorate their offices in any way they see fit.
The collection is often used to project British soft power during official visits.
Ms Reeves has selected two of Ms Coleman’s pieces, entitled Covid Anxiety 5 (Mask Disorder) and Misunderstood, for display.
The artist previously said that the paintings explore ‘how social media affects people’s wellbeing’.
Alongside her work, Ms Reeves has also chosen the pieces Portrait of a Woman (Invisible Virus) numbers 46 and 47, part of a Quarantine Collage by the artist Lisa Fielding-Smith.
Following Labour’s election win, a portrait of Lloyd George, Chancellor from 1908 to 1915, by Sir William Orpen was taken down from the walls of No 11. The Liberal statesman would go on to lead the country from 1916 to 1922.
A marble bust of Jewish Conservative peer Disraeli, who served as Chancellor several times and headed British imperial policy as Prime Minister twice, by Charles Bell Birch was also removed.
Meanwhile, a terracotta bust of Charles James Fox, the radical Whig politician who served as foreign secretary from 1803 to 1806, was also removed by officials.
Ms Reeves has selected two of Ms Coleman’s pieces, entitled Covid Anxiety 5 (Mask Disorder) and Misunderstood (pictured), for display
A portrait of Lloyd George, chancellor from 1908 to 1915, was taken down from the walls of No 11 last summer
Portraits of James I and James II (pictured) were also taken down after Labour’s election win
Portraits of James I and James II were also taken down after Ms Reeves’s moved into No 11.
Instead, the Chancellor has installed a statuette of Suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett and hung a portrait of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough.
The wife of the first Duke of Marlborough was portrayed by Rachel Weisz in the 2018 film The Favourite as the lover and friend of Queen Anne.
Back in September 2024, Ms Reeves told an all-female reception at No 11: ‘This is King James behind me, but next week the artwork in this room is going to change.
‘Every picture in this room is either going to be of a woman or by a woman – and we’re also going to have a statue in this room of (suffragist) Millicent Fawcett, who did so much for the rights of women.’
The Treasury has been contacted for comment.
