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Helena Rubinstein in a red brocade Balenciaga gown, 1957

Purchased with funds provided by Marilyn Darling AC, Tim Fairfax AC and the Sid and Fiona Myer Family Foundation 2015

Helena Rubinstein

Helena Rubinstein (c. 1870–1965), cosmetician, businesswoman and philanthropist, is the founder of one of the first international cosmetic companies.

1 portrait in the collection

Portrait of Jill Neville, 1967 (completed 1997)

Gift of the artist 2002

Sketch for Prime Minister Robert Menzies, 1960

Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 1999

Michael Hutchence, 1997

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

The family, c. 1955

Gift of Barbara Blackman 2000. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Sir Thomas Gore-Browne, 1864

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2018

Study in scarlet

Angus Trumble reflects on the force of nature that was Helena Rubinstein.

Philanthropic donations enable otherwise unobtainable acquisition

A magnanimous portrait of Helena Rubinstein has been acquired for the National Portrait Gallery’s collection.

John Chapman

Little is known of John Chapman, who engraved fine allegorical subjects after the designs of J Smith and Richard Corbould and worked closely with Thomas Macklin on his Shakespeare series.

2 portraits in the collection

Charles Blackman OBE

Charles Blackman OBE (1928–2018), artist, studied at East Sydney Technical College and worked as a press artist for the Sun newspaper before moving to Melbourne, where he came to the attention of arts patron John Reed.

9 portraits in the collection

Reginald Gray

Reginald Gray (1930–2013) was a professional portraitist. Born in Dublin, he studied at the National College of Art and Design, and became a designer for the Pike and Gate Theatres in Dublin and the Lyric Theatre in London.

1 portrait in the collection

Anna Volska

Anna Volska (b. 1944), actor, came from Poland to Australia with her mother when she was seven.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir John Henry Lefroy

Sir John Henry Lefroy (1817–1890), governor, army officer and meteorologist, entered the Royal Military Academy at age 14 and became a second lieutenant with the Royal Artillery in late 1834.

John Passmore

John Passmore (1904-1984), painter, studied with Julian Ashton in Sydney between the ages of fourteen and twenty-nine, and took some instruction from George Lambert.

1 portrait in the collection

Eric Smith

Eric Smith (1919-2017), painter, was born in Brunswick, Melbourne, and trained in commercial art at the Brunswick Technical College before serving in the army during World War 2.

6 portraits in the collection