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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.

John Darling

n.d.
Louis Kahan AO

pencil on paper (sheet: 44.6 cm x 32.5 cm)

John Darling (1923-2015), businessman, company director and media producer was the son of Harold Gordon Darling, chair of BHP. Educated in Melbourne, Darling joined the RAAF as a teenager and served with distinction as a night pilot in Britain. He was aide de camp to the young Queen Elizabeth on her tour of Australia in 1954. Having become involved in the management of his family’s business, John Darling and Son, he moved into investment banking, establishing Darling and Company in 1961. In the 1960s and 1970s he encouraged the careers of James Wolfensohn and David Clarke, among others. For 27 years he was chair of BP Australia, and for many years he served on the boards of Alcoa Monsanto Australia and Goldfields Consolidated. He was also on the advisory board of the CSIRO, and he sat on the council of the Australian National University for three decades. Having been first chair of the Australian Film Development Corporation in 1970s, he established the production company Burbank, which enabled the creation of many animated features and films. In 1982 he founded the Lord’s Taverners Australia, an organisation that promotes cricket among young and disadvantaged people, running the Imparja Cup for remote-area Indigenous youth and competitions for blind, deaf and intellectually impaired players.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mrs Lily Kahan 2017
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
© Louis Kahan/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

Louis Kahan AO

John Darling

Donated by

Lily Kahan (52 portraits)

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia

Phone +61 2 6102 7000
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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