Peter Doherty AC (b. 1940), immunologist, shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1996 for his discoveries about how the immune system recognises virus-infected cells. At the ANU's John Curtin School of Medical Research from 1973 to 1975, Doherty and his Nobel co-recipient Rolf Zinkernagel investigated components of the immune system known as 'killer T-cells', paving the way for a better understanding of organ rejection after transplants and genetic susceptibility to disease. Since 1988 he has divided his time between the Immunology department at St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Tennessee, and the Microbiology and Immunology department of the University of Melbourne. His reflective memoir, The Beginner's Guide to Winning the Nobel Prize, was published in 2005 and his Light History of Hot Air in 2007. The Peter Doherty Institute, an infectious-diseases research centre in Melbourne, opened in 2014.
Rick Amor evokes Doherty's intensity and curiosity by placing his figure very close to the picture plane. The direct and serious style of his work is well matched to Doherty's unpretentious, straightforward and intelligent manner. The forthright portrait of the scientist was made over five sittings in Amor's Melbourne studio, at which the artist encouraged Doherty to move around, drink coffee, and generally 'be himself'.
Commissioned with funds provided by Marilyn Darling AC 2002
© Rick Amor/Copyright Agency, 2022
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