Skip to main content
Menu

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.

What's on

Tuesday 21 November – Sunday 26 November 2023

Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman

Collection Highlights Tour

2:15pm, Daily

Join us in the Gallery for this free 30-minute tour of the collection, exploring portrait stories and the history of the building.

Bookings optional
Marea Gazzard
Marea Gazzard
Marea Gazzard
Marea Gazzard

The Iconoclasts

In Gallery Three

Exhibition open every day

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.

Mary Chomley
Mary Chomley
Mary Chomley
Mary Chomley

The Cosmopolitans

In Gallery Two

Exhibition closes 31 March

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.

An Afternoon (Aunty Jenny Munro at the Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy)
An Afternoon (Aunty Jenny Munro at the Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy)
An Afternoon (Aunty Jenny Munro at the Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy)
An Afternoon (Aunty Jenny Munro at the Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy)

This is my place

In Gallery Four

Exhibition closes 21 April

We all have places where we feel at ease, a sense of belonging, of ownership, of relaxation, of self. Given the opportunity, portraitists love to place their sitters in an environment where they are most at home.

Self portrait
Self portrait
Self portrait
Self portrait

Self portrait: Myself and I

In Gallery Five

Exhibition closes 3 March

Encompassing works created over the past 80 years, this selection of portraits from the Gallery’s collection celebrates inventiveness and diversity in approaches to self portraiture.

Cathy Freeman
Cathy Freeman
Cathy Freeman
Cathy Freeman

Frocked up

In Gallery Six

Exhibition closes 17 March

The selection of works in Frocked up richly demonstrates the interconnectedness of costume and portraiture – and the many ways in which artists have employed the representation of dress to powerful, insightful effect.

Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939

Archie 100

A Century of the Archibald Prize

Exhibition closes 28 January

This major exhibition celebrates 100 years of Australia’s oldest and most-loved portrait award and reflects upon the changing face of our nation.

Bookings available
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939

Archie 100 Highlights Tour

11:00am, 2:00pm, Daily until Sun 28 Jan

Join us for a 45-minute tour of Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize. Hear more about the history of the century-old prize and uncover the stories of some famous faces and local heroes.

Bookings available
Aussie Icon: Portrait of Jenny Kee
Aussie Icon: Portrait of Jenny Kee
Aussie Icon: Portrait of Jenny Kee
Aussie Icon: Portrait of Jenny Kee

Virtual Highlight Tour

Material Matters

12:30pm, Tue 21 Nov
Live online

Throw out your oil paints, banish your watercolours and show us what you’re really made of! This week, we’re moving beyond the canvas to meet some ladies who use unusual materials.

Bookings required
Me
Me
Me
Me

Little faces

10:30am, Wed 22 Nov

Do we have a treat for the smaller humans in your life! Little Faces is for babies and toddlers (with their grown up) to play, sing and have fun discovering a portrait together.

Bookings required
Me
Me
Me
Me

Little faces

9:30am, 10:30am, Thu 23 Nov

Do we have a treat for the smaller humans in your life! Little Faces is for babies and toddlers (with their grown up) to play, sing and have fun discovering a portrait together.

Bookings required
Vincent Namatjira OAM Studio self-portrait 2018
Vincent Namatjira OAM Studio self-portrait 2018
Vincent Namatjira OAM Studio self-portrait 2018
Vincent Namatjira OAM Studio self-portrait 2018

Archie 100: Online Workshop

Classroom Learner Year 3–6

2:00pm, Thu 23 Nov
Live online

Bring us and Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize to your classroom with this virtual excursion.

Bookings required
Me
Me
Me
Me

Little faces

10:30am, Fri 24 Nov

Do we have a treat for the smaller humans in your life! Little Faces is for babies and toddlers (with their grown up) to play, sing and have fun discovering a portrait together.

Bookings required
Bag: Metanoia Leather, Photo: paulcharlesbarlett.com, Model: Jia Gardiner
Bag: Metanoia Leather, Photo: paulcharlesbarlett.com, Model: Jia Gardiner
Bag: Metanoia Leather, Photo: paulcharlesbarlett.com, Model: Jia Gardiner
Bag: Metanoia Leather, Photo: paulcharlesbarlett.com, Model: Jia Gardiner

Undercurrent Design Market 2023

Fri 24 – Sun 26 November

Hosted by our friends at The Curatoreum, we're excited to be hosting more than 60 Australian makers and designers to help put a spotlight on local art, craftsmanship and creativity.

Bag: Metanoia Leather, Photo: paulcharlesbarlett.com, Model: Jia Gardiner
Bag: Metanoia Leather, Photo: paulcharlesbarlett.com, Model: Jia Gardiner
Bag: Metanoia Leather, Photo: paulcharlesbarlett.com, Model: Jia Gardiner
Bag: Metanoia Leather, Photo: paulcharlesbarlett.com, Model: Jia Gardiner

Undercurrent Design Market 2023

Fri 24 – Sun 26 November

Hosted by our friends at The Curatoreum, we're excited to be hosting more than 60 Australian makers and designers to help put a spotlight on local art, craftsmanship and creativity.

Bag: Metanoia Leather, Photo: paulcharlesbarlett.com, Model: Jia Gardiner
Bag: Metanoia Leather, Photo: paulcharlesbarlett.com, Model: Jia Gardiner
Bag: Metanoia Leather, Photo: paulcharlesbarlett.com, Model: Jia Gardiner
Bag: Metanoia Leather, Photo: paulcharlesbarlett.com, Model: Jia Gardiner

Undercurrent Design Market 2023

Fri 24 – Sun 26 November

Hosted by our friends at The Curatoreum, we're excited to be hosting more than 60 Australian makers and designers to help put a spotlight on local art, craftsmanship and creativity.

More events

Monday 27 November – Saturday 2 December 2023
© National Portrait Gallery 2023
King Edward Terrace, Parkes
Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia

Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196

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.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency