Kevin Spacey in Jonathan Yeo’s portraits at The Lowry

British portrait artist Jonathan Yeo combines our fascination with celebs with more ceremonial, archaic styles to portray our favourite performers, artists and politicians in regal or abstract garb. The surprising result is a quiet majesty in those that lose soul in glossy magazines. Thanks to a knack for the painterly capture of personality in face, backdrop and costume, Yeo has established himself as one of Britian’s great portrait artists. In this landmark show, Kevin Spacey, Damien Hirst, Michael Parkinson and Idris Elba are just some of the icons donning the walls, as well as additional paintings, drawings and preparatory materials, picked just for the Lowry audience.

Sat 15 Mar – Sun 27 Jul, The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ. Tel: 0843 208 6000, Sun – Fri 11am-5pm Sat 10am-5pm, FREE, www.thelowry.com