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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.

What's on

Friday 1 November – Saturday 30 November 2024

Paradise won, 2024 Ryan Presley
Paradise won, 2024 Ryan Presley
Paradise won, 2024 Ryan Presley
Paradise won, 2024 Ryan Presley

Ryan Presley: Paradise won

On view until May 2025

Marri Ngarr artist Ryan Presley's site-specific commission Paradise won is prominently positioned at the Gallery’s entrance. This ambitious new work invites conversations about the ongoing legacies of colonisation and celebrates First Nations survival and autonomy.

Those trees came back to me in my dreams
Those trees came back to me in my dreams
Those trees came back to me in my dreams
Those trees came back to me in my dreams

Joan Ross

Those trees came back to me in my dreams

Exhibition closes 2 February

The exhibition is a vibrant and dynamic exhibition by acclaimed contemporary artist Joan Ross. Transforming scenes from colonial artworks through a digital ‘cut and paste’ technique and her signature fluorescent yellow, Ross explores critical issues like climate change, greed and consumerism.

Some lads #1
Some lads #1
Some lads #1
Some lads #1

Some Lads

In Gallery Four

Open every day

The Some Lads series powerfully and playfully depicts Russell Page, Larrakia man Gary Lang, Muruwari man Matthew Doyle, and Graham Blanco, a descendant of the Mer (Murray Island) people.

Art Cart - children drawing in the gallery
Art Cart - children drawing in the gallery
Art Cart - children drawing in the gallery
Art Cart - children drawing in the gallery

Art Cart

Bright brooches: banksias and butterflies

10:00am, Sun 22 Sep until Sun 15 Dec

Drop into the Gallery this Spring for free creative activities inspired by our vibrant exhibition Joan Ross: Those trees came back to me in my dreams.

Lowitja O'Donoghue
Lowitja O'Donoghue
Lowitja O'Donoghue
Lowitja O'Donoghue

Gallery One

Open every day

Drawn from the National Portrait Gallery collection, this salon-style hang references the lavish 18th- and 19th-century European salons where paintings were hung floor-to-ceiling.

Lowitja O'Donoghue
Lowitja O'Donoghue
Lowitja O'Donoghue
Lowitja O'Donoghue

Collection Highlights Tour

11:00am, 2:00pm, Daily until Sun 15 Dec

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
Deborah Mailman
Deborah Mailman
Deborah Mailman
Deborah Mailman

Gallery Two

Open every day
Eagle Ross (Ross Wilson)
Eagle Ross (Ross Wilson)
Eagle Ross (Ross Wilson)
Eagle Ross (Ross Wilson)

Virtual Highlight Tour

Rock Revolution: 80s

12:30pm, Tue 5 Nov
Live online

Get ready to rock out with us this week as we journey through the epic world of Aussie rock legends from the 80s!

Bookings required
Native flowers made from paper
Native flowers made from paper
Native flowers made from paper
Native flowers made from paper

‘Waste’ paper workshop

With Jo Neville

10:00am, Sat 9 Nov

Discover the beauty that can be made from ‘waste’ paper with Jo Neville from Paper Couture.

Bookings required
Native flowers made from paper
Native flowers made from paper
Native flowers made from paper
Native flowers made from paper

‘Waste’ paper workshop

With Jo Neville

10:00am, Sun 10 Nov

Discover the beauty that can be made from ‘waste’ paper with Jo Neville from Paper Couture.

Bookings required
Kath Walker (Oodgeroo Noonuccal)
Kath Walker (Oodgeroo Noonuccal)
Kath Walker (Oodgeroo Noonuccal)
Kath Walker (Oodgeroo Noonuccal)

Virtual Highlight Tour

Prose and Pose: Noonuccal to Missy

12:30pm, Tue 12 Nov
Live online

Welcome lovers of verse! Explore the intersection of literature and art as we delve into the words and works of renowned Australian poets and songwriters immortalised in the National Portrait Collection.

Bookings required
Tara Louise and Ben Lanyon
Tara Louise and Ben Lanyon
Tara Louise and Ben Lanyon
Tara Louise and Ben Lanyon

Drawn in

Tara Louise and Ben Lanyon

1:00pm, Sun 17 Nov

Draw while listening to live music by Tara Louise and Ben Lanyon as they perform a groovy mix of jazz, soul and pop music.

William, Randwick
William, Randwick
William, Randwick
William, Randwick

Virtual Highlight Tour

Talking Trailblazers

12:30pm, Tue 19 Nov
Live online

Join Australian National University researcher Harry Kilcullen as they explore groundbreakers of queer art and culture in the National Portrait Collection.

Bookings required
Judith Wright with Barbara Blackman
Judith Wright with Barbara Blackman
Judith Wright with Barbara Blackman
Judith Wright with Barbara Blackman

Virtual Highlight Tour

Double portraits

12:30pm, Tue 26 Nov
Live online

Join us as we take a deep dive into the world of double portraits. What will this unique form of portraiture reveal about the sitters and the artists?

Bookings required
Little Faces
Little Faces
Little Faces
Little Faces

Little Faces

10:30am, Wed 27 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
Little Faces
Little Faces
Little Faces
Little Faces

Little Faces

10:30am, Thu 28 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
Little Faces
Little Faces
Little Faces
Little Faces

Little Faces

9:30am, 10:30am, Fri 29 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
Bobbi Sykes, Black Moratorium, Sydney, '72, 1972 Carol Jerrems
Bobbi Sykes, Black Moratorium, Sydney, '72, 1972 Carol Jerrems
Bobbi Sykes, Black Moratorium, Sydney, '72, 1972 Carol Jerrems
Bobbi Sykes, Black Moratorium, Sydney, '72, 1972 Carol Jerrems

Opening Party

Carol Jerrems: Portraits

6:00pm, Fri 29 Nov

Join us for the opening of Carol Jerrems: Portraits to celebrate the work, life and legacy of one of Australia’s most influential photographers. See the exhibition for free, grab a drink and soak up the vibe of DJ Charlie Villas’ genre- and generation-bending beats.

Bookings required
Bobbi Sykes, Aboriginal Medical Service, 1973 Carol Jerrems
Bobbi Sykes, Aboriginal Medical Service, 1973 Carol Jerrems
Bobbi Sykes, Aboriginal Medical Service, 1973 Carol Jerrems
Bobbi Sykes, Aboriginal Medical Service, 1973 Carol Jerrems

Carol Jerrems: Portraits

Exhibition opens 30 November

Carol Jerrems: Portraits is a major exhibition of one of Australia’s most influential photographers. Jerrems’ intimate portraits of friends, lovers and artistic peers transcend the purely personal and have come to shape Australian visual culture.

Bookings available
where will the story take us, 2002-2024 (printed 2024) (detail) Katrin Koenning
where will the story take us, 2002-2024 (printed 2024) (detail) Katrin Koenning
where will the story take us, 2002-2024 (printed 2024) (detail) Katrin Koenning
where will the story take us, 2002-2024 (printed 2024) (detail) Katrin Koenning

if only we could take the time: contemporary Australian photography

Exhibition opens 30 November

This show, staged alongside the major exhibition Carol Jerrems: Portraits, spotlights the work of three contemporary Australian artists whose work sits in dialogue with Jerrems’ legacy.

More events

Sunday 1 December – Monday 30 December 2024
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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