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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.

The Iconoclasts

In Gallery Three

Open every day
Marea Gazzard
Collection display in Gallery Three, April 2023
1 Marea Gazzard, 1966 Judy Cassab AO CBE. © Judy Cassab/Copyright Agency, 2023, Currently on display. 2 Collection display in Gallery Three, April 2023.

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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. This collection display explores the role of elements such as abstraction, expressionism and psychology in Australian portraiture, while examining the impact of the Second World War and the major political upheavals of the twentieth-century on Australian social and cultural life. Continuing on from the display in Gallery 2, The Iconoclasts creates a vivid visual essay of innovation and transformation in Australian art, providing a rich introduction to today’s contemporary artists.

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Portraits on display
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Self portrait
Barry Humphries
The family
1 Self portrait, 1964 Arthur Boyd AC OBE. © Bundanon Trust, Currently on display. 2 Barry Humphries, 1958 Clifton Pugh AO. © Shane Pugh, Currently on display. 3 The family, c. 1955 Charles Blackman OBE. © Charles Blackman/Copyright Agency, 2024, Currently on display.
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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.

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