A portrait of famous singer Lily Allen, which is featured as the cover of her recent hit album West End Girl, is now being displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Lily Allen herself paid a visit to the gallery on March 19 to celebrate the painting and artist, Nieves Gonzalez.

‘West End Girl’ Portrait

The artwork, which will be displayed at the museum for the next year, features the singer sitting on a stool wearing a polka dot puffer jacket and boots.

“I’m so pleased to make this special painting available for everyone to see,” stated Allen. “Nieves captured the feel of the album so brilliantly and I knew immediately it would make a very strong album cover.

“It seems to me the portrait reflects so many facets of the album – strength, power, vulnerability, determination and confusion, amongst many others – that it acts as a key to the whole listening experience. I love it.”

Allen called her new album a blend of “truth” and “fantasy”, which is reflected in Gonzalez’s piece as it blends classical style with modern elements. Gonzalez, whose work is inspired by classical Baroque artists like Velázquez and Goya, said she felt “enormously fortunate” to have been part of the album’s journey.

 “I wanted it to be an intimate and direct image, but also powerful,” Gonzalez said. “To show her strength, her wisdom, through the eyes of the contemporary women that we are.”

National Portrait Gallery director Victoria Siddall said its collection “celebrates the people who have shaped our history and culture, and Lily Allen is undoubtedly one of the defining voices of her generation”.

Leith Clark, the pop star’s creative director, organized the commission via Instagram. “The response was very intense,” González recently told Artnet News. “I received thousands of messages from people around the world telling me how much they liked the image.”