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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.

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Study for the portrait of Aldo Giurgola

2005
Mandy Martin

gouache, fibre tip pen and natural pigment on colour photocopy (sheet: 41.8 cm x 89.3 cm)

Romaldo Giurgola AO (1920–2016) was a founding partner of Mitchell/Giurgola & Thorp Architects, the firm that won the international competition to design Australian Parliament House in 1980. Giurgola studied in his native Italy before moving to the USA where he held academic positions at Cornell and Columbia universities, and in 1958 co-founded Mitchell/Giurgola Architects in Philadelphia. He was awarded the Gold Medal of the American Society of Architects in 1982, while work on the new Parliament House was under way. In 1988 Giurgola settled in Canberra, designing a tiny Catholic church in Charnwood and a home for himself at Lake Bathurst, near Goulburn; both are represented in Mandy Martin’s painting.

The architect and artist had known each other for many years when this portrait was made. It is unconventional in that Giurgola appears small scale amid a melding of the internal architectural space of Parliament House and the surrounding landscape. This depiction echoed Giurgola’s design ethos that ‘the building should nest with the hill, symbolically rise out of the Australian landscape, as true democracy rises from the state of things’.

Gift of the artist 2005
© Mandy Martin/Copyright Agency, 2024

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

Artist and subject

Mandy Martin (age 53 in 2005)

Romaldo Giurgola AO (age 85 in 2005)

Subject professions

Architecture, design and fashion

Donated by

Mandy Martin (1 portrait)

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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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.

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