- The Duchess of Cambridge travelled to the Kent town of Margate to visit the Turner Contemporary gallery
- Visit was part of her work with the National Portrait Gallery, of which she has been patron since 2012
- She was shown a sculpture called Self Portrait As A Drowned Man by local artist Jeremy Millar
- The 33-year-old has long been a champion of the arts and boasts a degree in History of Art
- Kate looked fresh and pretty in a Dalmatian coat by one of her favourite High Street brands, Hobbs
- The coat was last worn to launch cruise ship Royal Princess when Kate was pregnant with Prince George
- Today’s outing was the second this week, with further engagements scheduled for tomorrow and Friday
- Tomorrow’s visit is to the set of Downton Abbey where she will meet Dame Maggie Smith among others[contentblock id=1 img=adsense.png]
Is that supposed to look that way? The Duchess smiled politely as she contemplated artist Jeremy Millar’s unusual sculpture
Downton Abbey where she will meet Dame Maggie Smith among others She might be an art lover with a degree in History of Art but even the Duchess of Cambridge couldn’t help but look politely baffled when shown a bizarre sculpture that resembled a dead body in Margate this morning.[contentblock id=2 img=adsense.png]
Contemporary: Artist John Davies chats to the Duchess about his sculpture Scarecrow during her tour of the gallery
Pregnant Kate Middleton, who is eight months pregnant with her second child, was touring the Turner Contemporary when she was shown the unusual work, entitled Self Portrait As A Drowned Man by artist Jeremy Millar, which was part of an exhibition called Self: Image and Identity.
Read More: Pregnant Kate Middleton Isn’t Afraid of Her Gray Hairs
Getting creative: The Duchess, who has a History of Art degree, chats to a pupil from the Holy Trinity and St. John’s Primary School in Margate
The moment came during the Duchess’ second engagement in 48 hours, which saw her visit the Kent seaside town as part of her role as patron of the National Portrait Gallery. Regarded as the first ‘celebrity artist’, Van Dyck (1599-1641) was the official court painter to Charles I and is arguably one of the most influential portrait painters ever to have worked in the UK.[contentblock id=3 img=adsense.png]
Striking: Student Axelle Van Wynsberghe, a student at the University of Creative Arts in Canterbury, showed the Duchess a piece she was working on
Other self-portraits on display from the 16th Century to the present, included one of Turner himself as well as works by Tracey Emin, Lucian Freud, Damian Hirst, David Hockney and John Constable. However it was an eerily realistic body made out of silicone that really caught the Duchess’ eye, prompting a startled Kate to exclaim: ‘Oh my goodness, what’s that?’ The work has apparently caused quite a stir worldwide thanks to its realism.