Standing barefoot in shorts and a blush-pink shirt, artist Vivienne Binns OAM (1940–2026) sweeps a paintbrush across a canvas suspended on the studio wall. In this large-scale portrait, painter and printmaker Jude Rae captures the quiet authority of one of Australia’s most influential contemporary artists. Stripped of distraction, the pared-back composition focuses attention on Binns absorbed in the act of painting. This is both a portrait of an artist at work and a portrait of a friendship.
The painting emerged from a period of close collegial exchange between the two artists when they had neighbouring studios at Australian National Capital Artists Inc. in Canberra and taught together at the Australian National University School of Art. Rae recalled repeatedly seeing this view as she passed Binns’ studio: ‘her definite stance, her determination – and barefoot painting (very Australian), very grounded’. Binns first gained attention in the 1960s with provocative works that challenged social conventions before forging an influential career spanning feminist, conceptual and community-based art. Known for her still lifes, Rae brings a careful orchestration of form, light and space to this portrait. Binns looks away from the viewer, focused on the process of painting, while the expansive negative space and only partial glimpse of her canvas emphasise the creative act itself.
Gift of Vivienne Binns. Donated through the Australian Cultural Gifts Program 2026
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves.
An interview with Professor Frank Fenner who describes his life and the creation of his portrait.
Bringing eminent scientist Frank Fenner and artist Jude Rae together for the National Portrait Gallery commission was like matchmaking.
