Enjoy, sit back, and relax with some of our favourites from the Gallery’s collection, where they find themselves expertly – and comfortably – captured by their artists.

Take a 30 minute tour of the Portrait Gallery exploring the collection and the building.

Australian portraiture of the mid-twentieth century was rich with the influence of European modernism, exemplified by the work of artists including Arthur Boyd, Judy Cassab and Clifton Pugh.

Spanning the 1880s to the 1930s, this collection display celebrates the innovations in art – and life – introduced by the generation of Australians who travelled to London and Paris for experience and inspiration in the decades either side of 1900.

In partnership with Big hART we are proud to present Gulgawarnigu - Thinking of something, someone, a national presentation of digital artworks created from Ngarluma country leramagadu (Roebourne), in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

The exhibition is selected from a national field of entries, reflecting the distinctive vision of Australia's aspiring and professional portrait photographers and the unique nature of their subjects. Entries are now open!

Join us in the Gallery for this free 30-minute tour of the 2023 National Photographic Portrait Prize to hear more about the artist’s vision and stories of their subjects.

Get warm, cosy and creative with us this winter! Drop-in any time with family and friends for free craft activities.

Through looking, playing and creating, go on a journey of speculation as we explore a variety of portraits and wonder what their stories could be.

Join 2022 and 2023 National Photographic Portrait Prize finalist Jacob Nash as he discusses portraiture through the lens of this year’s NAIDOC theme, For Our Elders.

Come one, come all! Book in (see what we did there?) for an immersive story time with us and celebrate NAIDOC week!

Come one, come all and celebrate NAIDOC week! Book in (see what we did there?) for an Auslan-interpreted story time with us!

While the 2022 National Photographic Portrait Prize visits Lilydale in VIC, catch Yarra Ranges Regional Museum curator Maddie Reece as they speak to finalists Ayman Kaake and Joey Chan about photography, portraits and their art practice.

Celebrate NAIDOC with First Nations portraiture during a live National Portrait Gallery program.

Read the bottom line for me. Better or worse? Better or worse? Join us for a lively tour as we focus on (ay, see what we did there?) some of our bespectacled beings in the collection.

Teachers – celebrate First Nations stories with version 9.0 of the F-10 Australian curriculum. Explore the visual arts collections from leading collections at the National Portrait Gallery and National Gallery of Australia.

Join us in the Gallery as we explore collection, exploring the artworks with audio descriptions for visitors who are blind or have low vision. Sighted companions and guide dogs are more than welcome.

Did someone say, ‘art workshop with an Archibald winner?!’ Woo! Join Yvette Coppersmith from wherever you are for a drawing session using a range of works from the collection.

Can you believe it’s been 40 years since the High Court decision to save the Franklin river?! Grab your paddle and join us as we explore the portraits connected to this beautiful lutruwita/Tassie waterway.

Little Faces is for babies and toddlers (with their grown up) to play, sing and have fun discovering a portrait together.

Little Faces is for babies and toddlers (with their grown up) to play, sing and have fun discovering a portrait together.