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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 Gallery’s Acknowledgement of Country, and information on culturally sensitive and restricted content and the use of historic language in the collection can be found here.

Sigrid Thornton

2000
Andrew Sibley

pencil on paper (sheet: 76.5 cm x 57.0 cm)

Sigrid Thornton AO (b. 1959), actor, has been a household name since her performance in the box-office hit The Man from Snowy River in 1981. She began appearing on Australian television in the mid-1970s, in series including Homicide, Division Four and Prisoner. After roles in the 1977 films FJ Holden and The Getting of Wisdom she starred in the television series All the Rivers Run (1983), which set Australian ratings history and gained Thornton a Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actress. Through the 1980s and 1990s she performed in a variety of film and television productions, before her starring role in Sea Change, which became one of the ABC's best-loved shows. She starred in three series of the hit show between 1998 and 2000, receiving her second Silver Logie in 2000, and was an executive producer on the long-awaited 2019 Seachange reboot. Thornton has performed on stage to rave reviews in productions including A Little Night Music, The Blue Room, Talking Heads and Fiddler on the Roof. In 2021 she starred in the Channel Nine drama Amazing Grace.

Drawing was an essential part of Andrew Sibley's practice, and the National Portrait Gallery has eighteen of the artist's portraits in pencil and ink. This portrait of Thornton is a working drawing for a painting that Sibley entered into the 2000 Archibald Prize.

Purchased 2010
© Andrew Sibley/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

Andrew Sibley (age 67 in 2000)

Sigrid Thornton AO (age 41 in 2000)

Subject professions

Performing arts

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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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