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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

Polly Borland

Australians

Previous exhibition
from Friday 2 March until Sunday 13 May 2001

Polly Borland: Australians, is an exhibition of 54 new portraits of significant Australians who have made a contribution to British life and who have largely made their home or based their professional life in the UK.

Elle Macpherson
Elle Macpherson, 2000 Polly Borland. © Polly Borland

Born in Melbourne in 1959, Borland has lived in the UK for eight years and established an international reputation for both her portraiture and off-beat reportage, with work appearing regularly in the national and international press.

Polly Borland: Australians, has been jointly organised by the National Portrait Gallery, London and the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra.

The portraits in the exhibition reflect the many fields in which Australians have excelled, including art, business, literature, science, music, media, architecture and fashion. Subjects include Natalie Umbruglio, Sir Robert May, Germaine Greer and Sir Les Patterson. They represent a cross section of diverse, established and emerging talents, and reflect that particular streak of radicalism which has helped establish Australia on the world map, as a nation of can-doers, daredevil entrepreneurs, successful artists and competitive sportsmen and women.

Borland says of her work, "I'm fascinated by people - I love meeting them, I love photographing them, I love finding out about them. The best portraiture is when you get beneath the skin of someone, it's psychologically revealing. You penetrate below the surface."

 

5 portraits

1 Professor Germaine Greer, 1999. 2 Sir Les Patterson, 1999. 3 Natalie Imbruglia, 1999. All Polly Borland. © Polly Borland
Polly Borland tour dates

Originally shown at the National Portrait Gallery
Friday 2nd March until Sunday 13th May 2001

Monash Gallery of Art

Friday 29th June until Wednesday 5th September 2001

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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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