The always stimulating BP Portrait Award, now in its eighteenth year of sponsorship by BP, returns to Edinburgh this winter and presents some of the very best examples of contemporary portrait painting.

This year's jury made a selection of sixty from a record entry of 1,870 original works, submitted from around the world, and awarded the First Prize of £25,000 to Paul Emsley's dramatic close-up of fellow artist, Michael Simpson.

Open daily 10am-5pm. Thursdays until 7pm

Admission is free. A charge may be made for special exhibitions.

Visitor Facilities
The Gallery has a large shop and café, both of which are firm local favourites.

The Gallery also has a print room, reference section, library and archive of negatives, which form an invaluable resource for genealogists, students, scholars and any visitor interested in the people and history of Scotland. These services are available by appointment only.

14th December 2007 to 27th April 2008