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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.

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How we talk about undressedness

Near-naked, scantily clad, birthday suit

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The rise and fall of terminology around clothing and its lack.

Dayiwool Ngarranggarni (Arygle dreaming), 2018 by Shirley Purdie

Ngarranggarni

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The third row of paintings come from Ngarranggarni (Dreaming).

Shirley Purdie

Contributing artists

Born: 1947, Gilbun – Mabel Downs Station, WA
Works: Warmun, WA

Anna Meares

Anna Meares, 2018

by Narelle Autio

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Commissioned with funds provided by King & Wood Mallesons 2018

Did you come here to find history?, 2009 Edition 3/3
by Nusra Latif Qureshi

Nusra Latif Qureshi

by Hammad Nasar

Nusra Latif Qureshi was born in Pakistan in 1973 and originally trained in the traditional art of Mughal miniature (musaviri) paintings.

Catherine Livingstone

Catherine Livingstone, 2018

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Commissioned with funds provided by Tim Fairfax AC 2018

Writing on the Wall, 2019 Dr Christian Thompson AO

To arrive at hope

NPPP 2020 exhibition essay

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Penelope Grist, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2020 Prize.

Jude Rae, 2016 by Mark Mohell

Jude Rae

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Jude Rae’s high reputation rests on her austere, cerebral still lifes of gas canisters, electric jugs and jars, which she groups and rearranges for paintings that catch their difficult curves and reflections. Her self-portrait’s likewise thoughtfully composed.

William Robinson, 2016 by Mark Mohell

William Robinson

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Unique in the world, perhaps, is a bronze sculpture that fuses the age-old human portrait bronze tradition, and the later genre of the bronze pug figurine: that’d be William Robinson’s Self-portrait with pug.

The Writer, Peter Goldsworthy

The Writer: Peter Goldsworthy, 2018

by Deidre But-Husaim

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Commissioned with funds provided by Jillian Broadbent AO and Dr Helen Nugent AO 2018.

Graeme Drendel, 2016 by Mark Mohell

Graeme Drendel

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I like talking about Drendel’s pictures as if they expressed dreams of my own.

Arcadia: Sound of the sea

Exhibition introduction

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One night in the spring of 1970 in an old house in Whale Beach, north of Sydney, John Witzig, Albe Falzon and David Elfick put together the first issue of Tracks, playing Neil Young’s album Harvest over and over again as they pasted up galleys of type.

David Marr, 2011 by Nicholas Harding

Nicholas Harding: 28 Portraits

Exhibition essay

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Sarah Engledow looks at three decades of Nicholas Harding's portraiture.

Darren McDonald, 2016 by Mark Mohell

Darren McDonald

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The wild balancing act of McDonald’s home décor (is that there as a joke? where do I actually sit down? is this ironic or what? what a lovely photo of Darren and Robin in Europe!) is reflected in his own personality.

Kristin Headlam with Basil, 2016 by Mark Mohell

Kristin Headlam

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Basil grew into a speckled beauty – a long-legged leaper and an exceptionally vocal dog, with a great register of sounds, ascending in shock value from a whimper to a growl to a bark to a yelp that’s a violation of the ears.

Fiona McMonagle, 2016 by Mark Mohell

Fiona McMonagle

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Fiona aims to create a dangerous situation with a flood of water on the paper, forcing each work to the point where it can fail, and then rescuing it.

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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