Montage of new look Shakespeares, with quote from painter Thomas Gainsborough: "Damn the original picture of him, for I think a stupider face I never beheld..."

Reinventing Shakespeare

In this gallery, artists imagine how Shakespeare might really look.

Many have decided to reinvent Shakespeare's classic image to match their imaginations. How do they measure up to his words?

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Featuring Shakespeare title - click here to return to the intro page
Why change his image?
To celebrate him?
To promote him?
To play at politics?

To reinvent him?
the early likenesses
 his first published portrait One from the family gallery
his funeral bust
 A stately statue

Start Over - Go to Windows on Warwickshire - The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust