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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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Ben Quilty

Ben Quilty

Ben Quilty

Ben Quilty, 2012

Portrait, inkjet print on paper

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2014

Ben Quilty

Ben Quilty

Ben Quilty (b. 1973), painter, gained bachelor’s degrees in painting and visual communication at Sydney College of the Arts and the University of Western Sydney.

1 portrait in the collection

image not online

Andrew Quilty

Andrew Quilty left school after completing Year 10 in 1999, and went to study photography at TAFE, graduating in 2004.

1 portrait in the collection

Virus, 2006 by Ben Quilty

Truth and Likeness

Previous exhibition, 2006

This exhibition seeks to explore the nature of portraiture, providing an investigation into the importance of likeness to contemporary portraits.

image not online

Michael Desmond

Michael Desmond worked at the National Portrait Gallery first as Senior Curator from 2006 to 2011 then as Deputy Director until 2012.

Kenty Maggot 2010

Observation point

Magazine article by Ben Quilty, 2010

The Australian painter Ben Quilty discusses his approach to portraiture.

Marion Borgelt

Marion Borgelt

Marion Borgelt

Marion Borgelt, 2001

Portrait, watercolour on paper

Gift of Marion Borgelt 2022. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

image not online

Cherry Hood

Cherry Hood (b. c. 1950), is an artist well known for her haunting, large-scale images of faces.

3 portraits in the collection

Margaret Olley

Margaret Olley AC

Margaret Olley AC (1923-2011), painter, studied art at East Sydney Technical College and the Grande Chaumière in Paris.

6 portraits in the collection

Margaret Olley

Margaret Olley

Margaret Olley

Margaret Olley, 1995

Portrait, type C photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of The Hammond Care Group 1999

Margaret Olley

Margaret Olley

Margaret Olley

Margaret Olley, 1998

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

Gift of the artist 2003. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Paddy Bedford

Paddy Nyunkuny Bedford

Paddy Nyunkuny Bedford (1920/1924–2007), also known as Goowoomji or Guwumji, artist and Gija elder, was born on Bedford Downs Station, near Warmun in Western Australia.

1 portrait in the collection

Head study for portrait of Margaret Olley

Head study for portrait of Margaret Olley

Head study for portrait of Margaret Olley

Head study for portrait of Margaret Olley, 1994

Jeffrey Smart AO

Portrait, pencil on paper

Bequest of Nick Enright AM 2004

Lauren in Red, 2003

Is the truth of portraiture vested exclusively in likeness?

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2006

Curator Michael Desmond introduces the exhibition Truth and Likeness, an investigation of the importance of likeness to portraiture.

Margaret Seares

Margaret Seares, 2018

General content

Commissioned with funds provided by the Sid and Fiona Myer Family Foundation 2018

Trevor Jamieson, 2016 by Brett Canet-Gibson

The more things change...

NPPP 2017 exhibition essay

General content

Dr Sarah Engledow, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2017 Prize.

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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.

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