Search / bill henson

Living Memory exhibition essay

Bill Henson AO was only 19 when his photographs were first exhibited at the National Gallery of Victoria in his home city of Melbourne.

1 portrait in the collection

Commissioned with funds provided by the Farrell Family Foundation and the Basil Bressler Bequest 2002

The look and the feel

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2017

Editor Stephen Phillips looks at the finalists' photographs through a judge's lens.

Conduct becoming

Penelope Grist speaks to Bill Henson and Simone Young to discover the origins of the artist’s stunning photographic triptych.

Bill May

Bill May (1915-1993), luthier, completed an apprenticeship in cabinetmaking and taught woodwork before founding Mayton Stringed Instruments and Repairs in the early 1940s.

1 portrait in the collection

Bill Neidjie OAM

Bill Neidjie OAM (c. 1913-2002), a Gagadju man, was the traditional custodian of the Kakadu area of the Northern Territory and spent most of his childhood in this region.

1 portrait in the collection

Bill McAuley

Bill McAuley began his career as a photographer for newspapers and magazines in Melbourne in 1969.

9 portraits in the collection

Bill Hunter

Bill Hunter (1940-2011), actor, spent five decades on Australian television and cinema screens.

1 portrait in the collection

Bill Leak

Bill Leak (1956-2017), portrait painter and caricaturist, trained at the Julian Ashton art school in the mid-1970s, and began his career painting landscapes.

7 portraits in the collection

Bill Robertson CBE MC

Bill Robertson CBE MC (1917-2011), public servant, was educated at Melbourne Grammar and Oxford, where he graduated from the school of Natural Philosophy in 1939.

1 portrait in the collection

Bill Collins OAM

Bill Collins OAM (1934-2019), television movie host and critic, was a high school English teacher and lecturer at teachers’ college before beginning a record 55-year stint on Australian television.

1 portrait in the collection

The Hon. Bill Hayden AC

The Hon Bill Hayden AC (1933‒2023) was Governor-General of Australia from 1989 to 1996 and Leader of the Opposition from 1977 to 1983.

1 portrait in the collection

Bill May, 1976

Max Loudon

Portrait, watercolour, coloured pencil, crayon, gouache, felt tipped pen and ink on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Bill Dix, Ford, Qantas,

Joe Greenberg

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2001

Odysseus, 2014

by Bill Gekas

Amanda, 2017

by Bill Gekas

Ray Lawler, 2006 (printed 2010)

Purchased 2010

Reg Livermore, 2007 (printed 2010)

Portrait, inkjet print on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Bill Neidjie, 2000 (printed 2008)

Mark Lang

Gift of the artist 2008

Bill Leak, 1999

Simon Obarzanek

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002

Mr Movies - Bill Collins OAM, 2009

Evert Ploeg

Portrait, oil on linen

Gift of Joan Collins and the Todd-Wilson family in memory of Bill Collins 2019. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Bill Reid, 1979

Juno Gemes

Gift of the artist 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Bill Robertson, 2008

Paul Gosney

Portrait, charcoal on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Bill Hunter, 1974

Janet Dawson

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Bill Worrall, Five Islands tribe, 1836

William Fernyhough

Portrait, lithograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Robert Edwards AO 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Gough Whitlam, 1975 (printed 2010)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Howard Arkley, 1998 (printed 2010)

Purchased 2010

Peter Brocklehurst, 2005 (printed 2010)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Richard Woolcott, 1997

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Richard and Birgit Woolcott 2007
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Gavin Campbell, 1993

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Australian Securities Exchange 2012
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Sir Donald Bradman, 1990

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2008
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Mark Taylor, 1999

Portrait, ink and watercolour on paper and acetate

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 1999

Malcolm Fraser, 1990 (printed 2010)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Barry Humphries, 1971 (printed 2010)

Purchased 2010

Cathy Freeman, 1994 (printed 2010)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Robert Hughes - Nothing if not critical, 2001

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2002

Archie Roach, 1992 (printed 2010)

The creation of 'Our Don'

Purchased 2010

Don Bradman

Portrait story

A portrait story that explores the life and times of legendary Australian cricketer Sir Donald Bradman.

Norman O'Neill and Bill Lawry coming out to bat for Australia vs South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground

Norman O'Neill and Bill Lawry coming out to bat for Australia vs South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground, 1964 (printed 2018)

Robert McFarlane

Portrait, inkjet print on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2018

Heart of Darkness

Magazine article by Magda Keaney, 2002

Magda Keaney talks with Bill Leak about his bold new portrait of Robert Hughes in the National Portrait Gallery collection.

Bill Leak, 1984

phra ajahn ekaggata fka terry milligan

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2011

Dressing for dinner, 1992

Davida Allen

Portrait, oil on plywood

Gift of the artist 1999. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Portrait of Denton Corker Marshall, 2009

John Gollings

Previous exhibition, 2002

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Bill Henson

In their own words

Recorded 2021

Bill Brandt

A Retrospective

From Brandt's early work that documents fixed social contrasts of pre-World War II life in Britain to his later experimentation with a surreal style, this exhibition spans 50 years of Brandt's far reaching career in an extensive assemblage of 155 vintage gelatin silver prints from the Bill Brandt Archive in London.

Portrait 58

Summer 2017-18

Magazine

Paul Cézanne, Bill Henson and Simone Young, Australian cinema’s iconic women, and feminist portraits by Kate Just.

Bill

Stuart Miller

Roslyn Oxley

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2016

Roslyn Oxley AM, gallerist and art dealer, was born Roslyn Walton, the daughter of John Walton, owner of the department store Waltons.

1 portrait in the collection

Dr Edward MacMahon, 1959 by William Dobell

Bill and Ted's excellent portrait.

Sarah Engledow on Messrs Dobell and MacMahon and the art of friendship.

Bruce Pollard

Bruce Pollard (b. 1936), gallerist, established the Pinocotheca Gallery in a St Kilda mansion in 1967, and relocated it to an old hat factory in Richmond in 1970.

1 portrait in the collection

Bill Northam, 1964 (printed 2004)

Robin Smith

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2004

I've been meaning to ...

Greg Adams

Magazine article by Andrew Sayers AM, 2002

On commission

Former NPG Director Andrew Sayers discusses the art of commissioning portraits.

Bill Dyson and an unknown model, c. 1903

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2008

Bill Dyson and Rose, Northwood, c. 1903

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2008

Louise Hearman

Louise Hearman (b. 1963), graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1984 and has built her visual arts career over the decades since.

2 portraits in the collection

Athol Shmith, 1985

Michel Lawrence

September - November 2002

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

Portrait 5

Magazine

This issue of Portrait Magazine features Bill Leak's portrait of Robert Hughes, Polly Borland's photographs, Bill Brandt, Andy Thomas, Tracey Moffatt and more.

Ruby, Norman, Pearl, Percy, Reg, Bill Dyson and Mary in Creswick garden

Ruby, Norman, Pearl, Percy, Reg, Bill Dyson and Mary in Creswick garden, c. 1899

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2021

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2008

Living Memory

Previous exhibition, 2021

The exhibition is selected from a national field of entries, reflecting the distinctive vision of Australia's aspiring and professional portrait photographers and the unique nature of their subjects.

Ted Dyson, Bill Dyson (with pipe) and Percy

Ted Dyson, Bill Dyson (with pipe) and Percy, c. 1899

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2008

Percy, Ted Dyson and Bill Dyson, c. 1899

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2008

Richard Tognetti #1510, 2018

by Louise Hearman

Commissioned with funds provided by Peter Weiss AO 2018

Rev. Fred Nile, Festival of Light, Sydney

Fred Nile MLC

The Rev. Fred Nile MLC (b. 1934) Leader of the Christian Democratic Party was born and raised in King's Cross, Sydney.

1 portrait in the collection

Richard Tognetti AO

Richard Tognetti AO (b. 1965), violinist, conductor and composer, trained with William Primrose in Wollongong and Alice Waten in Sydney before undertaking further studies with Igor Ozim in Switzerland.

2 portraits in the collection

William Beach

Bill Beach (1850-1935), sculler, came to New South Wales as a young boy with his English parents, who settled at Albion Park, NSW.

1 portrait in the collection

William Beach, 1888

Portrait, tinted lithograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2013

Richard Tognetti, c. 1985

Stuart Campbell

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Estate of Stuart Campbell 2012

Now and Then

Richard Tognetti

Magazine article, 2025

Spanning 30 years, these portraits capture a life in music. Violinist, conductor and composer Richard Tognetti AO is Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

William Nuttall with horses in field

Noel McKenna

William Nuttall with horses in field

Noel McKenna

William Nuttall with horses in field, 2023

Noel McKenna

Gift of the artist 2025. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Ronnie Howard still dancing, 2014

by Ivan Gaal

Archived media releases 2021

Living Memory – National Photographic Portrait Prize extended to January 2022

6 September 2021

In light of recent and ongoing gallery closures brought on by the COVID pandemic, the NPG’s 2021 National Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition season will be extended until 16 January next year.

The spirit of the gift

Magazine article by Andrew Sayers AM, 2003

Former NPG Director, Andrew Sayers celebrates the support given to the Gallery by Gordon and Marilyn Darling.

The spirit walker, 2017

by Alex Ellinghausen

Previous exhibition, 2014

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2014

The National Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition is selected from a national field of entries that reflect the distinctive vision of Australia's aspiring and professional portrait photographers and the unique nature of their subjects.

Sir Robert Ponsonby Staples

Sir Robert Ponsonby Staples, third son of Sir Nathaniel Staples, Bt, was born in Northern Ireland, educated in Belgium, and studied architecture and art in Louvain, Dresden, Paris and London.

1 portrait in the collection

Langscape, 2006

by Murray Vanderveer

Edmund Barton, c. 1903

Crown Studios

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Claude Spurgeon Charlick

Claude Spurgeon Charlick (1893-1974), businessman, was managing director of the Adelaide firm Charlick Ltd for nearly forty years.

1 portrait in the collection

Hon. Alfred Deakin

Alfred Deakin (1856-1919), Australia's second, fifth and seventh Prime Minister, was central to the Federation movement.

1 portrait in the collection

Esther Erlich

Esther Erlich (b. 1955), a Melbourne-based painter, has been exhibiting since the early 1980s, often with the Libby Edwards Galleries in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and the Barry Newton Gallery in Adelaide.

3 portraits in the collection

Hayward Veal

Hayward 'Bill' Veal was born in Eaglemont, Victoria, and studied in Melbourne with AD Colquhoun and Max Meldrum between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four.

1 portrait in the collection

Karin Catt

Sir Leslie Ward, Bemrose Dalziel Ltd, Vanity Fair Magazine

Karin Catt grew up in Newcastle, where she began taking photographs of touring bands while a schoolgirl, and also in London and Hong Kong.

9 portraits in the collection

Australia (The Hon. Alfred Deakin), 1908

Portrait, chromolithograph on paper

Gift of Ronald A Walker 2009. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Andrew Maccoll

Previous exhibition, 2006

Andrew Maccoll (b. 1978) is a photographer and creative director. Born into an artistic family (his father is a press photographer and his mother a documentary producer) he worked as a darkroom printing assistant while studying for his degree in Visual Arts in Photography at Queensland College of Art, Griffith University.

3 portraits in the collection

Famous

Karin Catt Portraits

Australian photographer Karin Catt has photographed world leaders, a host of rock stars and Oscar-winning compatriots Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, and Cate Blanchett.

George Garrard

Portrait, fibre-tipped pen on paper

George Garrard ARA, born in London, trained under the animal painter Sawrey Gilpin and enrolled at the Royal Academy Schools at the end of 1778.

1 portrait in the collection

Gough... maintain the rage!, 1976

Frank Hinder

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

Terry Snow and China, 2017

Jude Rae

Commissioned with funds provided by Dr Justin Garrick & Dharini Ganesan Rasu, Dino Nikias & Dimitra Nikias, Jim Windeyer, Claudia Hyles OAM, Sotiria Liangis AM & John Liangis, The Hon Mary Finn, Bill Farmer AO & Elaine Farmer, Tim Efkarpidis, Bob Nattey & Charlotte Nattey, Jennifer Bott AO, Keith Bradley, Dr Sam Whittle & Heather Whittle 2017

Richard Edward O'Connor

Richard Edward O'Connor (1851-1912), barrister and judge, was raised and educated in Sydney.

1 portrait in the collection

Eddie Mabo

Koiki (Eddie) Mabo (1937-1992) was born and lived in the Torres Strait until 1959 when he moved to the mainland.

1 portrait in the collection

Mungo MacCallum

Mungo MacCallum (1941–2020) was one of Australia's best-known political journalists.

1 portrait in the collection

William Wilberforce

Sir Thomas Lawrence

Phyllis Shillito

Phyllis Shillito (1895-1980), designer and teacher, grew up in Yorkshire and trained and taught at Halifax Technical School before moving to teach design, craft and principles of art at Winchester School of Art and Liverpool City School of Art.

1 portrait in the collection

Portrait of Dr John Bradfield, c. 1920-1924

Reginald Jerrold-Nathan

Portrait, photographic print from film on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the family of Dr J J C Bradfield 2006
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

David Gulpilil's Hands, 2004

Ross Honeysett

Gift of the artist 2021

Ron Mueck

Ron Mueck (b. 1958), sculptor, first attracted widespread attention in 1997, when his poignant work Dead Dad was featured in the landmark exhibition Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection at the Royal Academy, London and subsequently shown in Berlin and New York.

1 portrait in the collection

First High Court of Australia, c. 1903

Portrait, albumen silver photograph

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

W B McInnes

Tom Durkin, The Weekly Times

William Beckwith (Bill) McInnes (1889–1939), artist, was only fourteen when he began studying drawing under Frederick McCubbin at the National Gallery School in Melbourne, before moving to painting.

5 portraits in the collection

A Politician "Unlock the Lands!" [The Hon. James MacPhearson Grant], 1874

Portrait, lithograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2016

Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)

Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong), 1893

Tom Roberts

Purchased with funds provided by the Ian Potter Foundation 2008

Sir Gustav Nossal, 2004

Dean Home

Portrait, oil on board

Purchased with funds provided by Karen McLeod Adair and Anthony Adair 2004

Lady Knox, c. 1927-1929

W B McInnes

Gift of Mrs Caroline Philippa Parker 2005. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Josonia Palaitis

Josonia Palaitis trained as an art teacher in Sydney in the early 1970s, and experimented with diverse painting styles before settling into the photorealist mode for which she became best known.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir Gustav Nossal, 1979 (printed 1981)

Mark Strizic

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2003

Michael Boddy

Michael Boddy (1934–2014), writer and actor, was born in England and educated at Cambridge before arriving in Australia as a 'ten quid migrant' in 1960.

2 portraits in the collection

Elizabeth Reid, 1989

Jenny Darling

Samuel Bellin after Thomas Heathfield Carrick

Gift of Elizabeth Reid 2019

Lord John Russell, 1844

Portrait, mezzotint on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2014

Millicent Preston Stanley Vaughan, c. 1945

Noel Rubie

Gift of Judi Preston-Stanley 2013

Imelda Roche AO

Imelda Roche AO (b. 1934), with husband Bill, introduced the Nutri-Metics skin care range to Australia in 1968.

1 portrait in the collection

Imelda Roche, 2003

Paul Newton

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper

Commissioned 2003

The Bee Gees, Kings Cross, 1970-1971

Rennie Ellis

Purchased 2021

William Edward Harney

Portrait, fibre-tipped pen on paper

William Edward (Bill) Harney (1895–1962), bushman and raconteur, spent his childhood in Charters Towers and Cairns and started working as a stockman and boundary rider at the age of twelve.

2 portraits in the collection

Whitlam & Snedden, 1974

Frank Hinder

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Enid Hawkins 2003
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Trevor Jamieson

Trevor Jamieson (b. 1975), Pitjantjatjara/Nyungar actor, didgeridoo player, guitarist, singer, dancer and storyteller, grew up in the Goldfields region of Western Australia.

1 portrait in the collection

Bob Hawke

A Portrait of Colonial Australia

Robert James Lee (Bob) Hawke (1929-2019) moved with his family from South Australia to Perth in 1939.

9 portraits in the collection

Bungaree, late chief of the Broken Bay tribe, Sydney

Heads of the People

Previous exhibition, 2000

For Tom Roberts - Australia's best nineteenth-century portrait painter - neither a proto-national portrait gallery nor more popular collections of portrait heads, were sufficient public celebrations for the notables of Australian history

Aden Ridgeway & pallbearers entering Sydney Town Hall, State Funeral for Kwementyaye Perkins AO, 25th October 2000

Aden Ridgeway & pallbearers entering Sydney Town Hall, State Funeral for Kwementyaye Perkins AO, 25th October 2000, 2000

Mervyn Bishop

Portrait, fibre-tipped pen on paper

Purchased 2001

Mungo MacCallum, press gallery cricket, 1973

Frank Hinder

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Enid Hawkins 2003
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

2013-14 Acquisition Fund

Annual Appeal

This 1910 portrait of Elizabeth Sarah (Lillie) Roberts by Tom Roberts was brought into the Gallery's collection with the assistance of the Acquisition Fund in 2013.

Sir George Coles, 1935

W B McInnes

Gift of Coles Myer Ltd 2002. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Hilda Spong

Hilda Spong (1875-1955), actress, came to Australia with her family when she was thirteen.

1 portrait in the collection

2012-13 Acquisition Fund

Annual Appeal

The Circle of Friends Acquisition Fund for 2012 was dedicated to purchasing a portrait of David Malouf by Rick Amor.

Peter Elliott AM

Portrait, inkjet print on paper

Peter Elliott AM (1927–2014) was an obstetrician, gynaecologist and gynaecological oncologist as well as a significant art collector and patron.

6 portraits in the collection

Trevor Jamieson, 2016

Brett Canét-Gibson

Purchased 2018

David Naseby

Celebrating 100 years of the Historic Memorials Collection

David Naseby (1937–2022) was born in England and studied in the United Kingdom before coming to Australia in 1953.

8 portraits in the collection

Of Kings and men

Previous exhibition, 2011

This display celebrates 100 years of the Historic Memorials Collection and its role in commissioning portraits of parliamentary and judicial figures in Australia.

Philippe Mora

Magazine article by Mark Haworth-Booth, 2002

Philippe Mora (b. 1949), filmmaker, artist and writer, is the eldest son of artist Mirka Mora and restauranteur and gallery owner Georges Mora.

1 portrait in the collection

Shadows of light

Mark Haworth-Booth explains why Bill Brandt is one of the most important British photographers of the Twentieth Century.

Great Suffragette demonstration in London

Vida Goldstein

Five Years of National Portrait Gallery Commissions

Vida Goldstein (1869-1949), activist, was the daughter of energetic social reformers.

1 portrait in the collection

Making Portraits

Previous exhibition, 2004

The considered matching of artist to subject has produced an amazing collection of unique and original works in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery

Hardtmuth Lahm

Hardtmuth Lahm (1912-1981), commercial artist and cartoonist, came to Australia from Estonia as a sixteen-year-old.

1 portrait in the collection

Elizabeth Reid AO

Elizabeth Reid AO (b. 1942), adviser on women's and public health policy, lived from her teens in Canberra, where she gained a pioneering public service cadetship in 1960.

1 portrait in the collection

John Bradfield

John Bradfield (1867-1943), engineer, was a key figure in the development of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and inner city transport network.

1 portrait in the collection

Supporters

$5,000 - $9,999

Honour board

The Bee Gees

Known as the 'Kings of Disco', The Bee Gees have sold over 120 million records worldwide and are among the highest-selling musical artists in history.

1 portrait in the collection

John Russell

John Russell, 1st Earl Russell KG GCMG PC (1792 –1878) was Secretary of State for War and the Colonies from 1839 to 1841 and served twice as Prime Minister of Great Britain, in 1846-1852 and 1865-1866.

1 portrait in the collection

Binem Grunstein

Archived media releases 2018

Binem (Bill) Grunstein (1921-2013), garment manufacturer and artist, escaped the Warsaw Ghetto in 1941, having seen his parents and most of his family members die of typhus or disappear.

1 portrait in the collection

The Honourable Bob Hawke savouring a strawberry milkshake, 2017 by Harold David

Harold David Takes out the People’s Choice Award for this year’s National Photographic Portrait Prize

8 June 2018

The votes are in and the National Portrait Gallery is pleased to announce The Honourable Bob Hawke savouring a strawberry milkshake by Harold David is the people’s choice for the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2018.

Time and light

In Gallery Seven

Previous exhibition, 2023

This sample of 56 photographs takes in some of the smallest photographs we own and some of the largest, some of the earliest and some of the most recent, as well as multiple photographic processes from daguerreotypes to digital media.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2018

Previous exhibition, 2018

The exhibition is selected from a national field of entries, reflecting the distinctive vision of Australia's aspiring and professional portrait photographers and the unique nature of their subjects.

Rosalie Kunoth-Monks OAM

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2010

Rosalie Kunoth-Monks OAM (1937-2022), Arrernte and Anmatjere woman, Aboriginal activist, former actress and nun, was born at Artekerre soak on Utopia Cattle Station in the Northern Territory, the daughter of Allan and Ruby Kunoth.

2 portraits in the collection

The God-shaped hole

Exploring the photographs of Martin Schoeller, Michael Desmond delves into the uneasy pact that exists between celebrity and the camera.

Barry Gibb, 1970-1971

Rennie Ellis

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Robert Dessaix, 1998

Robert Hannaford AM

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2009

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Robert Dessaix 2000
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Speed demon

Scott Redford discusses his dynamic portrait commission of motorcycling champion and 2008 Young Australian of the Year Casey Stoner.

James Macpherson Grant, c. 1870s

Paterson Brothers

Portrait, carte de visite photograph

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of John McPhee 2018

You are who?

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2022

Joanna Gilmour reflects on merging collections and challenging traditional assumptions around portraiture in WHO ARE YOU.

Nicholas Harding

28 Portraits

Previous exhibition, 2017

Nicholas Harding: 28 portraits features paintings of Robert Drewe, John Bell and Hugo Weaving alongside gorgeously coloured recent oil portraits, delicate gouaches and bold ink and charcoal drawings.

Adrian Rawlins

Previous exhibition, 2009

Adrian Rawlins (1939-2001), poet, performer and promoter, grew up in a Jewish household in Caulfield and St Kilda.

1 portrait in the collection

Prince William of Wales, by Mario Testino, 2003 publ. September 2003.
Credit: Mario Testino

Vanity Fair Portraits

Photographs 1913-2008

Vanity Fair Portraits traces the birth and evolution of photographic portraiture through the archives of Vanity Fair magazine.

Primed

Some Prime Ministers

Previous exhibition, 2019

Seventeen of Australia’s thirty prime ministers to date are represented in the contrasting sizes, moods and mediums of these portraits.

Judith Durham AO

Previous exhibition, 2004

The Seekers formed in Melbourne in 1962 when jazz singer Judith Durham met Athol Guy, who was in a folk trio with Bruce Woodley and Keith Potger.

3 portraits in the collection

Mark Strizic

A Journey in Photography

This exhibition traces the creative output of nearly 50 years by one of Australia's landmark living photographers.

Millicent Fanny Preston-Stanley Vaughan

Millicent Fanny Preston Stanley (1883–1955), politician and feminist, was born Millicent Stanley in Sydney in 1883, the daughter of a grocer named Augustine Stanley and his wife Frances (née Preston).

1 portrait in the collection

2020 Annual Appeal

Annual Appeal

In 2020 the Annual Appeal was focussed on Sally Robinson's remarkable portrait of author Tim Winton.

The Seekers, 1993

Rennie Ellis

Previous exhibition, 2010

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Australian of the Year

Inspiring a Nation

The Australian of the Year Awards have often provoked controversy about who is selected and whether their achievements are remarkable.

Darling Portrait Prize 2024

Previous exhibition, 2024

The Darling Portrait Prize is a biennial national prize for Australian portrait painting honouring the legacy of Mr L Gordon Darling AC CMG.

Glamour vs grunge

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2010

Christopher Chapman examines the battle of glamour vs. grunge which played out in the fashion and advertising of the 1990s.

The Seekers reunite 50 years on, 2011

Helen Edwards

Portrait, synthetic polymer on linen

Gift of Judith Durham, Athol Guy, Keith Potger and Bruce Woodley 2012. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2018

8 March 2018

Archived media releases 2018

Images for media use will be available from 8 March 2018.

Uncommon Australians

The vision of Gordon and Marilyn Darling

Previous exhibition, 2015

This exhibition showcases portraits acquired through the generosity of the National Portrait Gallery’s Founding Patrons, L Gordon Darling AC CMG and Marilyn Darling AC.

Illuminating history

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2023

Joanna Gilmour reflects on 25 years of collecting at the National Portrait Gallery.

Australian Visit

Previous exhibition, 2006

The exhibition will include works of art from the NPG Canberra's permanent collection with some inward loans and aims to highlight the achievements of notable Australians.

Handing on the baton

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2009

Michael Desmond explores the life of ballerina Irina Baranova through the portrait by Australian artist Jenny Sages.

Graham Kennedy and the Seekers in Melbourne

Graham Kennedy and the Seekers in Melbourne, c. 1968

Robert Whitaker

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2007

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2007

Portrait of a patron

A new painting by Jiawei Shen captures the vision and resolve of the Gallery's founder, L. Gordon Darling AC CMG.

The Final Frontier

Magazine article by Magda Keaney, 2002

Magda Keaney talks with Montalbetti+Campbell about their photographic portrait of Australian astronaut Andy Thomas.

Desert Island Discs

About Face article

I agonized over the choice of four songs to take with me to the ABC Studios for Alex Sloan’s Canberra 666 afternoon program, a sort of iteration of the old BBC Desert Island Discs.

9 lives of Karin Catt

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2006

Australian photographer Karin Catt has shot across the spectrum of celebrity, her subjects including rock stars, world leaders and actors.

I walk the line

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2009

Bruce Petty's animated self portrait captures a life's journey compressed into a few minutes.

Opening of the First Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia by H.R.H. The Duke of Cornwall and York, May 9, 1901, 1903 by Tom Roberts

Empire records

Magazine article by Kylie Scroope, 2011

Celebrates the centenary of the first national art collection, the Historic Memorials Collection, housed at Australia's Parliament House.

History

About us

How the National Portrait Gallery and its unique collection came to be

Privacy statement

The Gallery protects your privacy, including as a result of your interaction with our website

Annual Appeal

Listed by year

Honour board

Exhibition opening speech

Magazine article by Aimee Board, 2020

Leo Schofield introduces the exhibition, Masters of fare: chefs, winemakers, providores.

Peripheral vision

Aimee Board chats to emerging photographer Charles Dennington.

School portraits

About Face article

Inga Walton sheds light on a portraiture collection usually only seen by students and teachers at Melbourne University.

Portraits and other stories

Magazine article by Christine Clark, 2006

As the National Portrait Gallery opens its exhibition of portrait and figurative work by veteran photographer Sam Haskins, the artist reflects on the highlights of his fifty-year career so far.

The Right Honourable Sir Ninian Stephen KGAK GCMG GCVO KBE QC, 2006 by Rick Amor

Prima facie

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2019

Sarah Engledow casts a judicious eye over portraits in the Victorian Bar’s Peter O’Callaghan QC Portrait Gallery.

Lucy Culliton

Explore The Popular Pet Show

Most well-regarded pictures of chickens show them dead. A reliable way to tell if a chicken in a painting is dead is to check if it’s hanging upside down, because unlike, say, cockatoos, chickens don’t practise inversion for enjoyment in life.

The news from Washington

Magazine article by Lauretta Morton, 2006

Australia's former Cultural Attache to the USA, Ron Ramsey, describes the mood at the opening week of the revitalised American National Portrait Gallery.

An actress and her fans

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2008

Dr. Sarah Engledow discovers the amazing life of Ms. Hilda Spong, little remembered star of the stage, who was captured in a portrait by Tom Roberts.

Regarding Henrys

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2015

Sarah Engledow ponders the divergent legacies of Messrs Kendall and Lawson.

Adam’s Prize Apples

Magazine article by Pamela Gerrish Nunn, 2016

Pamela Gerrish Nunn explores New Zealand’s premium award for portraiture.

Peter Wilmoth, age 12, with copies of Our World 1974 Courtesy of the author

Paper, boy

Magazine article by Peter Wilmoth, 2016

Peter Wilmoth’s boy-journalist toolkit for antagonising an Australian political giant.

Diamond Doll

Magazine article by Karen Vickery, 2016

Karen Vickery delights in a thespian thread of the Australian yarn.

Thinking about architecture and portraiture

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2009

Dr Christopher Chapman describes the experimental exhibition Portraits + Architecture

Splendid, many-splendoured

Magazine article by Sandra Bruce, 2021

Sandra Bruce gazes on love and the portrait through Australian Love Stories’ multi-faceted prism.

Home and away

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2009

Sir William Dobell painted the portraits of Sir Charles Lloyd Jones and Sir Hudson Fysh, who did much to promote the image of Australia in this country and abroad.

The art of multiplicity

Magazine article by Meredith Hughes, 2019

Meredith Hughes explores a key Portrait Gallery work, emerging into the infinite iterations of identity.

Madame Sibly, Phrenologist and Mesmerist

Sibly irresistible

Magazine article by Alexandra Roginski, 2019

Alexandra Roginski reveals a forceful feminist figure in the colonial period’s slippery science, phrenology.

Mick Jagger, Madonna and Tony Curtis, 1997

The Vanity model

Magazine article by David Friend, 2009

Vanity Fair Editor David Friend describes how the rebirth of the magazine sated our desire for access into the lives of celebrities and set the standard for the new era of portrait photography.

Noel McKenna

Explore The Popular Pet Show

It’s a matter beyond dispute that in the entire history of Australian art, it’s Noel McKenna who’s painted the liveliest rendition of the head of a Chihuahua.

Mugshots

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2006

A toast to the acquisition of an unconventional new portrait of former Prime Minister, Stanley Melbourne Bruce.

Nicholas Harding

Explore The Popular Pet Show

Over the years the young Nicholas Harding got his hands on various mice and guinea pigs, but they served mainly to illustrate the concept of mortality.

The Art Lovers - Megan, 2013 by Gary Grealy

Everybody, look serious

NPPP 2014 exhibition essay

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2013

Dr Sarah Engledow, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2014 Prize.

Generous Janice

Dr Sarah Engledow puts four gifts to the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection in context.

Portrait Donors

Listed by year

Honour board

Uncommon Australians

The vision of Gordon and Marilyn Darling

Sarah Engledow writes about Gordon and Marilyn Darling and their support for the National Portrait Gallery throughout its evolution.

Some prime ministers

Sarah Engledow explores the history of the prime ministers and artists featured in the exhibition.

Nicholas Harding: 28 Portraits

Exhibition essay