Nöel Coward 1958

Abdul Mati Klarwein’s portrait of Nöel Coward presents us with the famous playwright, actor and songwriter rendered in monochrome. Klarwein made art that challenged the conventions of the art world and celebrated a vibrant counter-culture. Coward, though publicly less rebellious, was an intriguing choice of subject for Klarwein, because he represented the tensions of mid-century Britain. As a gay man in the public eye, Coward was a figure whose sexuality was at odds with mainstream social norms, and he was in some ways a closeted figure. The portrait itself, with its stark contrast and unfinished quality, hints at these contradictions. We might consider how the artist used the visual language of portraiture to convey something of Coward's public persona, and the more private, perhaps conflicted, individual beneath. To explore this further, we can look to biographies and social histories to better understand the cultural milieu in which both men operated, and appreciate the nuances of this compelling image.