Amma Asante ('01:40:25')
- Artist: Nina Mae Fowler
- Date: 2019
- Medium: compressed charcoal and pencil on paper
- Dimensions: 11 3/8 in. x 17 1/4 in. (290 mm x 439 mm) overall
- Portrays: Amma Asante
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is “Amma Asante (‘01:40:25’)” by Nina Mae Fowler, drawn in compressed charcoal and pencil on paper. The compressed charcoal gives the lines a rich sheen that contrasts with softer pencil highlights. At first glance you’ll notice the subtle layering of charcoal that gives the face a soft depth. The strokes build from light wash around her head to deeper shadows under the jawline, while fine pencil details highlight her eyes and the slight curve of her lips. The portrait sits within a 290 × 439‑mm canvas, so you can see both foreground detail and the paper’s slightly textured surface.
The sitter, writer and film director Amma Asante, first gained acclaim with “A Way of Life” in 2004, later winning BAFTAs and MBE honours. Fowler captures her profile with a quiet intensity that echoes the filmmaker’s own focus on character depth.
See it in person
Amma Asante ('01:40:25') is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
