Portrait of Elton John and family goes on display at National Portrait Gallery

A portrait of musician Sir Elton John and his family has been unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery.

The portrait captures Sir Elton; his husband, filmmaker David Furnish; their two children, Zachary and Elijah Furnish-John; and their two Labradors, Joseph and Jacob, in their family home in Old Windsor.

Taken by photographer Catherine Opie, the portrait can be found in the gallery’s Mary Weston Gallery from Tuesday, with the unveiling also marking the opening of the exhibition Catherine Opie: To Be Seen.

Sir Elton and Furnish said: “To have our family photographed by Catherine Opie and on display at the National Portrait Gallery is a huge honour.

“We are huge admirers of her work and proud to have her beautiful and poignant images in our collection.”

Sir Elton and Furnish entered a civil partnership in 2005 and had their first son, Zachary, in 2010 before having Elijah in 2013.

The couple then married in 2014.

The pair have also been long-time advocates for LGBTQ+ rights and have campaigned to tackle HIV/Aids including through the Elton John Aids foundation to help raise money for life-saving programmes.

Speaking about the portrait, Opie added: “I arrived at Elton and David’s house three days before Christmas. I met the boys and the dogs and after a great lunch together, I made this family portrait of them in their library.

“It is truly an honour to photograph Elton, David, Zachary and Elijah.

“For me, it represents the humanity of what family can be.”

Sir Elton, whose birth name is Reginald Dwight, is best known for hit songs such as Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer and I’m Still Standing.

He rose to fame in the 1970s following the release of his second album, the self-titled Elton John (1970) and has gone on to win five Grammys, five Brit awards and achieve 10 number one singles and albums in the UK charts.

Victoria Siddall, director of the National Portrait Gallery, said: “The National Portrait Gallery’s Collection exists to share portraits of the people who have shaped the history and culture of the UK, from the Tudor times to today.

“The people on our walls, and the stories we tell about them, are a source of inspiration for the millions of people who come through our doors, and particularly the many young people who visit every year.

“I am delighted to welcome this important portrait of the Furnish-John family by Catherine Opie into our Collection.

“It celebrates not only Sir Elton John’s extraordinary achievements in music but also the vital humanitarian and philanthropic work that he and David have undertaken in recent decades, and the family they have built together.”