Skip to main content
Menu

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.

Study for The Writer, Peter Goldsworthy

2018
Deidre But-Husaim

oil on canvas (frame: 22.4 cm x 15.3 cm depth 4.5 cm, support: 20.0 cm x 13.0 cm)

Peter Goldsworthy AM (b. 1951) studied medicine at the University of Adelaide and after graduating worked in drug and alcohol rehabilitation while starting to write. His first book of poetry, Readings from Ecclesiastes, won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize for a debut collection, the South Australian Premier’s Award, and was joint winner of the Anne Elder Poetry Award in 1982. His first book of short stories, Bleak Rooms, was published in 1988 and his debut novel, Maestro (1989), was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award. Subsequent works include the novels Honk If You Are Jesus (1992); Wish (1995); Three Dog Night (2003), which won the Christina Stead Award; and Everything I Knew (2008), which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literature Award. Also an essayist and screenwriter, he wrote the libretti for the operas Summer of the Seventeenth Doll and Batavia, the latter winning him a Helpmann Award in 2002. His novella Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam (1993) – one of several of his works adapted for the stage – was performed in Sydney and Perth in 2018.

Deidre But-Husaim writes: ‘When painting Peter I wanted to represent more than just his appearance, I wanted to convey the process of trying to bring a thing or an idea into being … I wanted to offer a glimpse of the inner private world of Peter alone with his imagination, all unformed possibilities before him.’


Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned with funds provided by Jillian Broadbent AC and Dr Helen Nugent AO 2018
© Deidre But-Husaim

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

Deidre But-Husaim (age 59 in 2018)

Peter Goldsworthy AM (age 67 in 2018)

Supported by

Jillian Broadbent AC (7 portraits supported)

Dr Helen Nugent AC (4 portraits supported)

Related portraits

1. The Writer, Peter Goldsworthy, 2018. All Deidre But-Husaim.
© National Portrait Gallery 2024
King Edward Terrace, Parkes
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