It takes a village to raise a creative! Get an insight into the often-unseen work and supporters needed for the arts to thrive. The work of art documents the creative process, evoke states of creativity and inspiration, and shows us clues about the subject’s own work from the way artists portray them.

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.

Portraiture. Not as you know it. We invite you to stretch, push, resist and transcend portraiture’s conventional constraints.

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

Little Darlings is for primary and secondary students, with four separate categories across Kindergarten to Year 12. Responding to the theme ‘identity’, students painted, drew, photographed, printed or combined all of these to make their portrait.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This sample of 56 photographs takes in some of the smallest photographs we own and some of the largest, some of the earliest and some of the most recent, as well as multiple photographic processes from daguerreotypes to digital media.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Grab your BFF and hang out with us as we take a look at artworks exploring friendship.

Join us as we explore the collection and discover artworks with audio descriptions for visitors who are blind or have low vision.

Join local jazz vocal group Rhythm Syndicate in the Gallery as they take you on a musical journey to get you in the mood for the festive season.

Join us for a screening of Namatjira Project, which tells the story of the Namatjira family and their quest to regain copyright to Albert Namatjira’s iconic artwork.

Join three of our Access and Learning team for a lively portrait discussion where they’ve chosen an artwork to surprise each other.

For our final Spotlight of the year, we welcome Callum Tolhurst-Close, Manager, Foundation & Private Giving, who will be looking at the portrait of Peter Sculthorpe by Eric Smith.

Join us with Maggie Beer AO, cook restaurateur and businesswoman and Del Kathryn Barton, artist, in celebration of the National Portrait Gallery's most recent commissioned portrait, Maggie, 2023 by Del Kathryn Barton.

Drop in to the family space these school holidays for free creative activities to enjoy together.

Calling all curious, enquiring minds! Come and join us this school holidays as we investigate portraits in our collection through the lens of design.

For our Summer Story Time, we’re celebrating the beautiful world around us with the book Father Sky Mother Earth, written and illustrated by First Nations author and poet, Oodgeroo Noonuccal.

Join us for a screening of Penguin Bloom, a heartwarming film, that tells the story of a family who take in an injured magpie that makes a profound difference in their lives.

Draw while listening to live music by Indonesian composer and performer, Lynden Bassett.

For our Summer Story Time, we’re celebrating the beautiful world around us with the book Father Sky Mother Earth, written and illustrated by First Nations author and poet, Oodgeroo Noonuccal.

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.

Join us as we celebrate the final days of Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize at the National Portrait Gallery! We've got three fun-filled days of activities, workshops, talks and tours planned for visitors of all ages.

Cool down and let your creativity flow with a splash of water play in our Western Courtyard!

Feeling inspired by Archie 100? Want to see your face on the walls? Drop in and create a portrait for our 100 Faces Project!

In this workshop, you’ll have the chance to create your own lucky charms. Will you choose a Lucky Cat Spirit or perhaps a Laughing Lotus Monkey?

Inspired by her work Self-portrait with Guardian Spirits, Kate will share some of her Archie insights and guide participants through a fantastic family and fur-family painting workshop.

Explore the main collection and Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize before our usual opening hours.

We invite you to join a 45-minute tour of Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize with Auslan interpretation.

Over three episodes, follow Rachael Griffiths as she embarks on a journey through 100 years of the Archibald Prize.

Draw while listening to live music by As Famous as the Moon, performing a mix of jazzy tunes.

Join us to explore Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize with audio descriptions for visitors who are blind or have low vision.

Join us for a screening of Penguin Bloom, a heartwarming film, that tells the story of a family who take in an injured magpie that makes a profound difference in their lives.

Over three episodes, follow Rachael Griffiths as she embarks on a journey through 100 years of the Archibald Prize.

Join our Senior Curator Joanna Gilmour as she explores the life of celebrated portraitist George Lambert. You’ll be glad(ioli) you did.

Join us to get into the Valentine’s Day spirit! Maybe you’ll find a new love while exploring the portraits of some of Australia’s favourite power couples.

From notions of propriety to celebrating our flora and fauna, join us as we look at what it means to get all frocked up in Australia.

What do artists reveal or conceal about wonderful wordsmiths? This week we’re looking at the talented writers in our collection.

The exhibition will feature some of the most significant portraits in the artist’s career to date, from early major works such as his painting of HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark through to his most recent.