Science Museum unveils Jane Goodall portrait celebrating her life and conservation legacy
A striking new portrait of Dr Jane Goodall has gone on public display at London’s Science Museum, marking the first anniversary of the pioneering conservationist’s death and bringing her extraordinary scientific legacy into the museum’s collection.
Created by French-born artist Mr Brainwash, the 1.5-metre by 2.1-metre painting places Goodall alongside a chimpanzee in dense vegetation, surrounded by the graffiti-inspired imagery associated with the artist’s work. It was donated to the Science Museum by the Jane Goodall Institute UK and is now displayed on the museum’s second floor.
The chimpanzee depicted is David Greybeard, one of the animals Goodall observed during her groundbreaking research at Gombe Stream Game Reserve in Tanzania. Beginning her fieldwork there in 1960, she documented chimpanzees making and using tools, challenging the long-held assumption that tool use was uniquely human.
The portrait also incorporates details connected with Goodall’s life, including the field notebooks she used to record chimpanzee behaviour and Mr H, the soft toy monkey that accompanied her during many public appearances later in life.
Born in London in 1934, Goodall went on to establish the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 and the youth programme Roots & Shoots in 1991. Her work eventually extended far beyond primatology, encompassing conservation, biodiversity, animal welfare and environmental education.
That emphasis on young people was reflected at the portrait’s unveiling, where schoolchildren took part in a workshop creating bug hotels inspired by Roots & Shoots. The activity echoed Goodall’s belief that young people could make a practical contribution to protecting the natural world.
Goodall had a longstanding relationship with the Science Museum. She took part in its Climate Talks programme in 2021 and returned in 2025 for a screening of Reasons for Hope, speaking to 300 local schoolchildren. She was also awarded a Science Museum Group Fellowship in recognition of her contribution to science and conservation.
The new portrait adds to the museum’s growing collection of significant contemporary and historical artworks, ensuring that Goodall’s influence remains visible to future generations.
Image: Shadowssettle
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