Search / david low

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2001. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
The series 'David Moore: From Face to Face' was acquired as a gift of the artist and with financial assistance from Timothy Fairfax AC and L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2001.

David Gulpilil, Arnhem Land, 1981 (printed 2000)

The series 'David Moore: From Face to Face' was acquired as a gift of the artist and with financial assistance from Timothy Fairfax AC and L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2001

David Low

Previous exhibition, 2011

Sir David Low, caricaturist, published his first cartoon in the British comic Big Budget at the age of eleven, while resident in his native New Zealand.

5 portraits in the collection

David M Thomas

Dream Job

Since 1993 Brisbane-based artist David M Thomas has investigated self identity through art works that encompass painting, text, audio, video and performance.

David Simpson

David Simpson, photographer, is represented in the Art Gallery of South Australia, his subjects including HM Queen Elizabeth II, Don Bradman, David Gulpilil and Sir Mark and Lady Oliphant.

1 portrait in the collection

David McKenzie Dow OBE

David McKenzie Dow OBE (1870-1953) was official secretary for Australia in America in 1924-31, and acting commissioner-general in 1931-38.

1 portrait in the collection

David Potts

David Potts (1926-2012) was a documentary photographer with a career spanning more than fifty years.

3 portraits in the collection

David Jones

David Jones (1793-1873), merchant, began his retail career in Pembrokeshire and London before emigrating to Sydney via Hobart.

1 portrait in the collection

David Moore

'Playwriting, people and punchlines'

David Moore was a photographer who helped to establish the Australian Centre for Photography in Sydney with colleague Wesley Stacey.

115 portraits in the collection

David Williamson

Australian playwright, David Williamson tells us tales from his career.

David Campese AM

David Ian Campese (b. 1962) is the world's leading representative rugby union footballer, having played 101 tests for Australia between 1982 and 1996.

1 portrait in the collection

David Rankin OAM

David Rankin OAM (b. 1946) came to Australia with his English parents at the age of two in 1948.

1 portrait in the collection

David Brooks

David Brooks, poet, literary critic and academic, studied in the early 1970s at the Australian National University, where he fell in with a group of Canberra writers including AD Hope, Rosemary Dobson, David Campbell and Judith Wright and co-founded Open Door Press with Alan Gould.

1 portrait in the collection

David Gwinnutt

David Gwinnutt has photographed many artists, performers and fashion personalities.

1 portrait in the collection

David Aspden

David Aspden (1935-2005), artist, came to Australia from England in 1950.

1 portrait in the collection

David Strachan

David Strachan (1919–1970), painter and printmaker, was educated at Geelong Grammar School and then studied art at the Slade School in London.

2 portraits in the collection

David Collins

David Collins (1756–1810), lieutenant-governor, began his career in the British Navy, rising to the rank of captain before being returning to dry land and being placed on half-pay in late 1783.

1 portrait in the collection

David Rosetzky

David Rosetzky (b. 1970) is a Melbourne-based contemporary artist working across photography, video and installation.

2 portraits in the collection

David Warren

David Warren graduated from RMIT in 1964, after which he taught for some twenty years at the Prahran School of Art, RMIT and Ballarat CAE.

1 portrait in the collection

David Godfrey

Mervyn Godfrey OAM (1924-2013), Dean Godfrey (b. 1970), David Godfrey (b.

1 portrait in the collection

David Naseby

David Naseby was born in England and studied in the United Kingdom before coming to Australia in 1953.

8 portraits in the collection

David Moore, Corio, Victoria, 1942 (printed 2000)

David McComb

David McComb (1962-1999) was the songwriter and frontman for The Triffids, who remain one of Australia's best-loved post-punk bands.

1 portrait in the collection

David Combe

David Combe (b.1943) became interested in politics at Adelaide University and was motivated to join the ALP in 1962, partly through his friendship with Don Dunstan.

1 portrait in the collection

David Chalmers

David Chalmers (b. 1966) is world-renowned in the field of the philosophy of consciousness.

2 portraits in the collection

David Unaipon

David Unaipon (1872-1967) writer, public speaker and inventor, was a Ngarrindjeri man, fourth of nine children of the evangelist James Ngunaitponi and his wife Nymbulda, both of whom were Yaraldi speakers.

1 portrait in the collection

David Smith

David Smith, painter, draughtsman, printmaker and teacher, was born in Lowestoft, Suffolk, where he attended the Technical School and the Lowestoft and Norwich Schools of Art.

1 portrait in the collection

David Davies

David Davies began studying art at the School of Mines and Industries in his birthplace, Ballarat.

1 portrait in the collection

David Rastovich

David 'Rasta' Rastovich (b. 1979), professional surfer and conservation activist, was born in rural New Zealand.

1 portrait in the collection

David Williamson AO

David Williamson AO (b. 1942), playwright, studied and lectured in mechanical engineering and psychology before achieving success with his works for the stage.

4 portraits in the collection

David Gist

David Gist is an Acquisitions Officer at the Australian War Memorial, the most recent position in a career spanning a broad range of fields in the museums sector.

David Foster OAM

David Foster OAM (b. 1957), champion axeman, is the most successful competitor in the history of the sport of woodchopping.

1 portrait in the collection

David Walsh

David Walsh (b. 1961), professional gambler, art collector and gallerist, established Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA).

1 portrait in the collection

David Roberts

Melbourne-based photographer David Roberts was born in Forest City, Iowa, and graduated from Iowa State University with an honours degree in philosophy.

4 portraits in the collection

David Campbell

David Campbell (1952–1984) decided to become an artist while a student at Erina High on the New South Wales Central Coast.

3 portraits in the collection

David Malouf

David Malouf (b.1934), educated at Brisbane Grammar and the University of Queensland, left Australia at the age of 24 and remained abroad for a decade, teaching in England and travelling throughout Europe.

3 portraits in the collection

David McAllister AC

David McAllister AC (b. 1963), dancer and former artistic director of the Australian Ballet, was born in Perth and began studying ballet in the early 1970s.

3 portraits in the collection

David Wenham

David Wenham (b. 1965), actor, studied drama at the Nepean College of Advanced Education (now the University of Western Sydney), graduating with a BA in Performing Arts in 1987.

1 portrait in the collection

David Gulpilil AM

David Gulpilil AM (1953-2021), actor and dancer, was a Yolngu man of the Mandhalpuyngu language group and was born near Maningrida in Arnhem Land.

5 portraits in the collection

David Dridan OAM

David Dridan (b. 1932), artist, studied at the South Australian School of Art and later at East Sydney Technical College.

1 portrait in the collection

David Mitchell

David Mitchell (1829-1916), builder, contractor and businessman, arrived in Melbourne in mid-1852 in the Anna.

1 portrait in the collection

Mr David Mort

States of significance: NSW.

David Aspden

Recorded 1970

David Williamson

Recorded 1976

David McAllister

Recorded 2017

David Moore part one

Recorded 1973

David Moore part two

Recorded 1973

People's Choice Award announcement

We are delighted to announce the winner of the $10,000 People's Choice Award for the inaugural Darling Portrait Prize is David Darcy for his painting of farmer and environmentalist Wendy Bowman.

Self portrait, Cyprus, 1953

David Potts

Portrait, oil on canvas board

Purchased 2001

Portrait of an Artist (Self portrait), 1944

David Strachan

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Bookmakers at race meeting, England, c. 1954 (printed 2000)

A folio of British street portraits 1824–1844

Copeman, gardener, Great Yarmouth by John Dempsey

Dempsey's people

Previous exhibition, 2017

Dempsey’s people: a folio of British street portraits 1824–1844 is the first exhibition to showcase the compelling watercolour images of English street people made by the itinerant English painter John Dempsey throughout the first half of the nineteenth century.

Racegoers, Melbourne Cup, 1991 (printed 2000)

Aboriginal couple, Finniss Springs Mission, South Australia

Aboriginal couple, Finniss Springs Mission, South Australia, 1959 (printed 2000)

Semi self portrait, Hunter Valley, 1992 (printed 2000)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
The series 'David Moore: From Face to Face' was acquired as a gift of the artist and with financial assistance from Timothy Fairfax AC and L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2001

Self portrait, 1976 (printed 2005)

David Malin

Magazine article by David Thomas AM, 2012

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005

My dream job

Artist David M Thomas lists some of the ideas and influences behind his video portraits.

Thua Tich, South Vietnam, 1969-06 by Christopher Bellis

The jungle look

Magazine article by David Gist, 2019

David Gist steps beyond the public relations veneer of Australia’s official Vietnam War portrait photographs.

Thomas Gainsborough, c.1758-59 by Thomas Gainsborough

Keep it in the family

Magazine article by David Solkin, 2019

David Solkin ponders the provocations and inspirations of the enigmatic Thomas Gainsborough.

Mary (or Diana) Croker, mat woman, Colchester, 1823 by John Dempsey

Unknown drawer

Magazine article by Dr David Hansen, 2017

Dempsey’s People curator David Hansen chronicles a research tale replete with serendipity, adventure and Tasmanian tigers.

Observation point

Magazine article by David Rosetzky, 2019

I work with portraiture as a way to explore the nuances and complexities of contemporary selfhood and subjectivity.

David McAllister

'Complex stories without words'

Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet, David McAllister describes the trajectory of his relationship with dance.

David Malangi Daymirringu

David Malangi Daymirringu (1927-1999), Manharrngu, bark painter, printer and designer, was born at Mulanga, near the mouth of the Glyde River, just before Christian missionaries arrived on the nearby island of Milingimbi.

1 portrait in the collection

Jarinyanu David Downs

Jarinyanu David Downs (c. 1925–1995), Wangkajunga/Walmajarri painter, printmaker and preacher, lived a traditional life in the Great Sandy Desert of West Australia until he was a young man.

2 portraits in the collection

Sir David (Albert Cherbury) Rivett KCMG FRS

Sir David Rivett KCMG FRS

Sir David (Albert Cherbury) Rivett KCMG FRS (1885- 1961) was a scientist who graduated with first-class honours in chemistry from the University of Melbourne and who played an influential role within Australia's scientific community.

1 portrait in the collection

David Ramsey McNicoll CBE

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, sepia toned on cardboard

David Ramsay McNicoll CBE (1914-2000) was editor-in-chief of Sir Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press from 1953 to 1972, and wrote an immensely popular column for the Bulletin magazine from 1972 to 1999.

1 portrait in the collection

David Low, 1917

Rudolph Buchner

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

John David Armstrong

John David Armstrong (1857–1943) was a sideshow and vaudeville performer known as ‘The Australian Tom Thumb’.

2 portraits in the collection

David Clarke, 1995 (printed 2018)

Gary Ede

Purchased 2018

Study for portrait of Les Murray, 1995

Portrait, watercolour on ivory

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Naseby 2001

David Mitchell, 1903 (later reworked)

Ada Whiting

Gift of the Mitchell Family 2012

John David, Davids Holdings, Largest Grocery Wholesalers

John David, Davids Holdings, Largest Grocery Wholesalers,

Joe Greenberg

Portrait, watercolour, crayon, coloured pencil, fibre-tipped pen and gouache on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2001

Study for portrait of Les Murray, 1995

Portrait, oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Naseby 2001

Fay Bottrell, 1981

David Campbell

Gift of Elizabeth Campbell-MacKenzie on behalf of the family of David Campbell 2012

Federal Statistican Knibbs, 1919

David Low

Portrait, ink and gouache on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Alec Hope, c. 1985 (printed 2007)

David Brooks

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2007

Study for portrait of Bob Ellis, 1999

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Naseby 2001

Study for portrait of Bob Ellis, 1999

Portrait, natural earth pigments and synthetic polymer paint on linen

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Naseby 2001

Jarinyanu Dancing at Broome Festival, 1990

Jarinyanu David Downs

Purchased 2017

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2008

Les Murray, 1995

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Professor A D Hope, Canberra, 1963 (printed 2000)

Max Dupain, Artamon, Sydney, 1979 (printed 2000)

Bob Ellis, 1999

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2011

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

The numbers man

Dr. Sarah Engledow tells the story of Australia's first Federal statistician, Sir George Knibbs.

Dave Dow, 1922

Tom Glover

Portrait, pen and ink on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Tribute

Bob Ellis

Magazine article, 2016

Bob Ellis (1942–2016) was a journalist, columnist, screenwriter, film director, playwright, speechwriter and critic.

Max Schubert, 1980

David Simpson

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2014

A blackguard rehearsing - Max Cullen, 2001

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Nigel Naseby 2007
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

David Campese by Paul Newton

An interview with Paul Newton, the creator of the portrait of rugby legend David Campese.

TW Edgeworth David and Vilhjalmur Stefansson

Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David KBE

Portrait, inkjet print and oil on canvas, mounted with inset axe pendant

Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David KBE (1858-1934) was an eminent geologist.

2 portraits in the collection

What the tree saw: David Foster, 2018

Jacqui Stockdale

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

Sketch portrait of David Aspden, 1975

Fred Williams

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Lyn Williams AM 2011
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

David Malangi Daymirringu, 1986

Purchased 2005

David Combe and the portrait, 1983

Keith Looby

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Combe 1998
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Portrait of David Dridan, 1992

Brian Dunlop

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Dridan OAM 2017

David Chalmers, 2011

Nick Mourtzakis

Commissioned 2011

David McComb (of The Triffids), 1987

Bleddyn Butcher

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002

David Campese II, 2000

Paul Newton

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Jarinyanu David Downs, 1986

Portrait, photographic print from film on paper

Purchased 2005

David Gulpilil's Hands, 2004

Ross Honeysett

Gift of the artist 2021

The Australian Tom Thumb (John David Armstrong), c. 1880

J D. Cooper

Portrait, carte de visite photograph

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2014

David Gulpilil, c. 1981

Juno Gemes

Gift of the artist 2005. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

David Alexander Stewart Campbell

David Alexander Stewart Campbell (1898-1970), wool buyer and journal editor, undertook a woolclassing course in Sydney, worked as a jackeroo, served in the AIF in Egypt and gained further experience with wool in England before he was inducted into the wool trade in Melbourne.

1 portrait in the collection

David Malouf, 2012

Rick Amor

Commissioned with assistance from the Circle of Friends 2012

The Movie Star (David Gulpilil), 1985

Tracey Moffatt AO

Portrait, offset lithograph on paper

Gift of the artist 1998. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Boy with surfboard cross: David Rastovich, 1999 (printed 2005)

Scott Redford

Gift of the artist 2009. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Gulpilil (David) Dreaming - Kakadu 2006, 2006

George Fetting

Portrait, pencil on paper

Gift of the artist 2008

David Malouf, 1980

Jeffrey Smart AO

Gift of Dr Gene Sherman AM and Brian Sherman AM 2012. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

David Warren, c. 2004

an unknown artist

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Commonwealth Department of Defence 2005

David Williamson, 1974 (printed 2001)

Gordon Glenn

Purchased 2001

Adrian Rawlins, 1977

David Campbell

Portrait, etching and drypoint on wove paper

Gift of Elizabeth Campbell-MacKenzie on behalf of the family of David Campbell 2012

David Malouf, 1993

Rick Amor

Gift of the artist 2005. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

David Wenham, 1998 (printed 2005)

Ingvar Kenne

Gift of the artist 2017. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

David Williamson, 2012

Dave Tacon

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

David Walsh, 2010

Andres Serrano

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper

Purchased 2014

David Helfgott, 1987

Geoffrey McGeachin

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Geoffrey McGeachin 2015

David Williamson, late 1970s

Louis Kahan AO

Portrait, pen and ink on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mrs Lily Kahan 2017
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

David Unaipon, n.d.

an unknown artist

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

The Vivisector - David Williamson, 2017

Danelle Bergstrom

Portrait, screenprint on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2018
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Get Wet series (David Twohill), 1979

Paul Worstead

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

The Australian Tom Thumb (John David Armstrong), c. 1880

Sarony & Co.

Portrait, carte de visite photograph

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2014

Creatures of Leisure series (David 'Bird' Twohill)

Creatures of Leisure series (David 'Bird' Twohill), 1982

Paul Worstead

Portrait, screenprint on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2001

Study for painting commission. David Chalmers Portrait Study 3

Study for painting commission. David Chalmers Portrait Study 3, 2010

Nick Mourtzakis

Portrait, pastel and graphite on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned 2011

A Captured Moment

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2001

The acquisition of David Moore's archive of portrait photographs for the National Portrait Gallery's collection.

Cathy Freeman, 2000

David Caird

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Caird and Melbourne Herald Sun 2003

Rodney Hall, 2005

David Warren

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2006

Julian Burnside AO QC, 2004 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Robert Menzies, Lancaster House, London, 1956 (printed 2000)

Sidney Nolan, Western Australia, 1962 (printed 2000)

Prue Acton, 2012

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Jessica Mauboy, 2018

David Rosetzky

Commissioned with funds provided by Sony Music Entertainment Australia 2018

The black coat: Lily Brett, 1989

David Rankin OAM

Gift of Dr Gene Sherman AM and Brian Sherman AM 2012. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Portrait of Henry Vernon Crock AO, 1988

David Smith

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Henry Vernon Crock AO in memory of David Smith 2007
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Joshua Smith, Woolloomooloo, Sydney, 1985 (printed 2000)

Philip Noyce on the set of 'Heatwave', Sydney

Philip Noyce on the set of 'Heatwave', Sydney, 1981 (printed 2000)

Bruce Dawe, Melbourne, 1969 (printed 2000)

Battersea Fun Fair, London, c. 1952 (printed 2000)

Gift of the artist 2001. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
The series 'David Moore: From Face to Face' was acquired as a gift of the artist and with financial assistance from Timothy Fairfax AC and L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2001.

Tall-ship sailor, Torbay, Devon, c. 1954 (printed 2000)

Peasant woman, the Dolomites, Italy, 1951 (printed 2000)

Portrait, single channel moving image, colour, sound, 9 minutes, 56 seconds

Portrait of Cate Blanchett, 2008

David Rosetzky

Commissioned with funds provided by Ian Darling 2008

Caroline Jones, 1978

David Campbell

Gift of Elizabeth Campbell-MacKenzie on behalf of the family of David Campbell 2012

Miners, Pacific Colliery, Hunter Valley, New South Wales

Miners, Pacific Colliery, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, c. 1949 (printed 2000)

Traffic dodgers, Piccadilly Circus, London

Traffic dodgers, Piccadilly Circus, London, c. 1953 (printed 2000)

Coalmine manager, Burragorang Valley, New South Wales

Coalmine manager, Burragorang Valley, New South Wales, c. 1949 (printed 2000)

Traffic dodgers, Piccadilly Circus, London, c. 1953 (printed 2000)

Surry Hills boy 1, 1948 (printed 2000)

Traffic dodgers, Piccadilly Circus, London, c. 1953 (printed 2000)

Traffic dodgers, Piccadilly Circus, London, c. 1953 (printed 2000)

New Year's Eve, Piccadilly Circus, London

New Year's Eve, Piccadilly Circus, London, c. 1952 (printed 2000)

Leigh Bowery in Fur Coat, c. 1983 (printed 2005)

David Gwinnutt

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

John Olsen, Woollahra, Sydney, 1962 (printed 2000)

Portrait, montage of gelatin silver photographs

Migrants arriving in Sydney, 1966 (printed 2000)

Toby Wilson, Murwillumbah, 1966 (printed 2000)

Sugarcane cutter, Murwillumbah, New South Wales

Sugarcane cutter, Murwillumbah, New South Wales, 1966 (printed 2000)

Harry Seidler, Killara, Sydney, 1984 (printed 2000)

The series 'David Moore: From Face to Face' was acquired as a gift of the artist and with financial assistance from Timothy Fairfax AC and L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2001

Mick Jagger, Sydney, 1965 (printed 2000)

Cray fishermen, Lancelin, Western Australia

Cray fishermen, Lancelin, Western Australia, 1963 (printed 2000)

Henry Figueira, Glebe Island Bridge, Sydney

Henry Figueira, Glebe Island Bridge, Sydney, 1995 (printed 2000)

John Foster Dulles, Washington, 1956 (printed 2000)

Nelson Mandela, Sydney, 2000

Averell Harriman, New York State, 1956 (printed 2000)

Dublin Horse Show spectators, 1956 (printed 2000)

Mick Jagger, Sydney, 1965 (printed 2000)

Pitjantjatjara schoolboy, Ernabella, South Australia

Pitjantjatjara schoolboy, Ernabella, South Australia, 1963 (printed 2000)

Chris Chataway, White City Stadium, London

Chris Chataway, White City Stadium, London, 1956 (printed 2000)

Ivan Carapina, Glebe Island Bridge, Sydney

Ivan Carapina, Glebe Island Bridge, Sydney, 1995 (printed 2000)

Colin McCahon, Auckland, New Zealand, 1963 (printed 2000)

Mary McCarthy, New York, 1956 (printed 2000)

Mick Scully, Glebe Island Bridge, Sydney

Mick Scully, Glebe Island Bridge, Sydney, 1995 (printed 2000)

Nelson Mandela, Sydney, 2000

Rolling Stones fans, Sydney, 1965 (printed 2000)

Bar, Betoota races, Queensland, 1961 (printed 2000)

Chris Chataway, White City Stadium, London, 1956 (printed 2000)

Laurie Chow, engineer, Glebe Island Bridge, Sydney

Laurie Chow, engineer, Glebe Island Bridge, Sydney, 1995 (printed 2000)

John Braine, Ilkley Moor, West Yorkshire

John Braine, Ilkley Moor, West Yorkshire, 1958 (printed 2000)

Nelson Mandela, Sydney, 2000

Anthony Eden, London, 1956 (printed 2000)

Russian oarsmen at Henley Royal Regatta, Oxfordshire

Russian oarsmen at Henley Royal Regatta, Oxfordshire, 1955 (printed 2000)

Chris Chataway, White City Stadium, London, 1956 (printed 2000)

Mick Jagger, Sydney, 1965 (printed 2000)

Chelsea Flower Show, London, c. 1956 (printed 2000)

Sydney pedestrian, 1963 (printed 2000)

Georgi Malenkov, Russian Embassy, London

Georgi Malenkov, Russian Embassy, London, 1956 (printed 2000)

Nuns at Lourdes Centenary, France, 1958 (printed 2000)

Dean Dixon, Chatswood, Sydney, 1965 (printed 2000)

Chris Chataway, White City Stadium, London, 1956 (printed 2000)

Mick Jagger, Sydney, 1965 (printed 2000)

Bar Billiards, Lancelin, Western Australia

Bar Billiards, Lancelin, Western Australia, 1963 (printed 2000)

Kofeinu Matavesi, Glebe Island Bridge, Sydney

Kofeinu Matavesi, Glebe Island Bridge, Sydney, 1994 (printed 2000)

Priest at Lourdes Centenary, France, 1958 (printed 2000)

André Kertész, New York, USA, 1975 (printed 2000)

Baseball fans, Yankee Stadium, New York, 1956 (printed 2000)

Portrait of Kenneth Rowell, 1967

David Strachan

Gift of Margaret Olley 2002. Transferred from the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Wes Stacey, Kurnell, Sydney, 1973 (printed 2000)

Geoff Cousins, 2017

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Geoff Cousins AM 2007

Andrew Sibley, painter, Sydney, 1960

David Potts

Portrait, pencil, pen and ink on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2001

Bob Croll of the AAA Vic., 1916

David Low

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2008

Ed Murrow, New York, 1956 (printed 2000)

The Billy Book, 1918

David Low

Portrait, book

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Suzie Campbell 2001

Gordon Andrews, Lovett Bay, Sydney, 1987 (printed 2000)

The series 'David Moore: From Face to Face' was acquired as a gift of the artist and with financial assistance from Timothy Fairfax AC and L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2001

Peter Sculthorpe, c. 1969

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1998

Lloyd Rees at 90, Northwood, Sydney, 1985 (printed 2000)

Robert Klippel, Birchgrove, Sydney, 1969 (printed 2000)

Russell Drysdale, Woollahra, Sydney, 1964 (printed 2000)

George Johnston, Fleet Street, London, c. 1952 (printed 2000)

Russell Drysdale, Tallow Beach, New South Wales

Russell Drysdale, Tallow Beach, New South Wales, 1969 (printed 2000)

Judy Davis on the set of 'Heatwave', Sydney

Judy Davis on the set of 'Heatwave', Sydney, 1981 (printed 2000)

Yvonne Audette, Vaucluse, Sydney, 1968 (printed 2000)

William Dobell, Potts Point, Sydney, 1960 (printed 2000)

Janet Dawson, Paddington, Sydney, 1966 (printed 2000)

Robert Helpmann, 1969

Portrait, montage of gelatin silver photographs on paper

Purchased 1998

Arthur Boyd, Bundanon, New South Wales, 1995 (printed 2000)

Patrick White, Castle Hill, Sydney, 1963 (printed 2000)

Marea Gazzard, Paddington, Sydney, 1963 (printed 2000)

Leonard French, Heathcote, Victoria, 1969 (printed 2000)

Michael Johnson, McMahon's Point, Sydney

Michael Johnson, McMahon's Point, Sydney, 1969 (printed 2000)

Michael Johnson, McMahon's Point, Sydney, 1969 (printed 2000)

Michael Johnson, McMahon's Point, Sydney, 1969 (printed 2000)

Michael Johnson, McMahon's Point, Sydney, 1969 (printed 2000)

Michael Johnson, McMahon's Point, Sydney, 1969 (printed 2000)

Michael Johnson, McMahon's Point, Sydney, 1969 (printed 2000)

Robert Menzies, Sydney, 1963 (printed 2000)

Fred Williams, Upwey, Victoria, 1963 (printed 2000)

Gordon Andrews, Cottage Rock, Hawkesbury River, New South Wales

Gordon Andrews, Cottage Rock, Hawkesbury River, New South Wales, 1968 (printed 2000)

Magazine article by Lauren Dalla, 2004

Depth of Field

The exhibition Depth of Field displays a selection of portrait photographs that reflect the strength and diversity of Australian achievement.

Dawn Fraser, 1963

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper

Purchased 1998

Earth to earth

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2013

Dr Sarah Engledow discusses the recent gift of works by David Campbell.

The Colonel (portrait of Walter Withers)

The Colonel (portrait of Walter Withers), 1896

David Davies

Portrait, pastel on paper

Purchased 2009

Cardinal George Pell, 2007 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Portrait of Peter Nicholson, 1995

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Peter Nicholson 2001

Portrait of Peter Nicholson, 1995

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Peter Nicholson 2001

Robert Klippel, 1979

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper

Purchased 1998

Portrait of Peter Nicholson, 1995

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Peter Nicholson 2001

Fred Williams, 1969

Portrait, oil on masonite

Purchased 1999

David Lloyd Jones, 1944

Sir William Dobell OBE

Gift of David Lloyd Jones, in memory of his father, David Lloyd Jones 2021. Donated through Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

David Foster

'What the tree saw'

'The person who is the writer'

World champion woodcutter David Foster and artist Jacqui Stockdale.

David Malouf

Australian author David Malouf discusses the creation of his portrait by artist Rick Amor.

Portrait of Cate Blanchett

by David Rosetzky

'Consciousness, iPhones and philosophical zombies'

David Rosetzky and Cate Blanchett talk about the creation of their video portrait.

David Chalmers

Portrait, oil on canvas laid on composition board

Professor David Chalmers explains his interest in philosophy and introduces some of his theories on the conscious mind.

David Jones, 1853

Henry Robinson Smith

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Susanna de Vienne, Sarah Wood and David Lloyd Jones 2009
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

The Dance - David McAllister, 2016

Portrait, cast bronze medallion on wood plaque

Commissioned with funds provided by The Stuart Leslie Foundation 2016

Sir David (Albert Cherbury) Rivett KCMG FRS, 1985

Andor Meszaros

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Ray Marginson AM 2001

Sketchbook journal for the commission portrait

Sketchbook journal for the commission portrait "The Dance - David McAllister", 2016

Portrait, 48 page journal with 25 illustrated pages in pencil, pastel, ink and collage of printed images with masking tape

Commissioned with funds provided by The Stuart Leslie Foundation 2016

David Morrison, 2016

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Portrait of David Gonski AC, 2012

Paul Newton

Portrait, oil on linen

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2013
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Jessica Mauboy

'Chaos and stillness'

Singer, songwriter and actress Jessica Mauboy with artist David Rosetzky.

Lord Goddard, White City Stadium, London

Lord Goddard, White City Stadium, London, c. 1957 (printed 2000)

Professor Gilbert Murray, OM, Oxford, c. 1957 (printed 2000)

Professor Brian Schmidt, 2015

Portrait, triptych of gelatin silver photographs on paper

Commissioned 2015

President Johnson and Prime Minister Holt at Canberra Airport

President Johnson and Prime Minister Holt at Canberra Airport, 1966 (printed 2000)

Professor Allan Snyder, 2000

Magazine article by David Sequeira, 2004

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2001

Super League

The portrait of Ian Roberts by Ross Watson.

David Armstrong, B.A., B. Phil., 1959

Clifton Pugh AO

Portrait, oil on masonite

Gift of Jennifer Armstrong 2018. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

David Collins Esq, 1804

Anthony Cardon after John T. Barber

Portrait, stipple engraving on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2015

D.A.S. Campbell (David Alexander Stewart Campbell), 1963

Sir William Dargie CBE

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Mary Newlinds and Sheena Simpson in memory of their father, D.A.S. Campbell, 2014

Professor David of Antarctic Expedition, c. 1910

an unknown artist

Anthony Buckley & Constantine Ltd

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Portrait photograph of David McNicoll, 1987

Portrait, photograph on canvas lining

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2001

Russell Drysdale and Peter Sculthorpe, Tallow Beach, New South Wales

Russell Drysdale and Peter Sculthorpe, Tallow Beach, New South Wales, 1969 (printed 2000)

Nicholas Hannen and Athene Seyler, London

Nicholas Hannen and Athene Seyler, London, c. 1952 (printed 2000)

Colin Madigan and Robert Hughes, Canberra

Colin Madigan and Robert Hughes, Canberra, 1982 (printed 2000)

Rudy Komon and Leonard French, Beaumaris, Melbourne

Rudy Komon and Leonard French, Beaumaris, Melbourne, 1967 (printed 2000)

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2010

Golden boy

Dr Christopher Chapman examines Scott Redford's photographic portrait of Australian surfer David 'Rasta' Rastovich.

Being Cate

Previous exhibition, 2011

A moving portrait of Cate Blanchett unfolds as an inspired pairing of medium and subject.

Inner Worlds

Portraits and Psychology

Portraits of Australia’s pioneering psychologists and artworks by artists fascinated by the subconscious mind.

Private practice

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2008

David Smith portrayed Dr Henry Crock without the accoutrements of an orthopaedic surgeon, adding to the National Portrait Gallery's collection of eminent Australian medical practitioners.

A non-material and non-physical portrait

Lecture, 21 May 2011

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2006

Inner Worlds features the recently commissioned portrait of world-renowned philosopher of consciousness David Chalmers by Melbourne-based artist Nick Mourtzakis.

Hyperversity

Dr Sarah Engledow writes about the larger-than-life Australian performance artist, Leigh Bowery.

Brooke Lockett, Heidi Martin, Karen Nanasca, Halaina Hills; New York, 2012 Lisa Tomasetti

Dance like everyone’s watching

Theresa Walker after David D'Angers

Penelope Grist’s spirits soar with Lisa Tomasetti’s Dancers in the Streets series.

Sir John Franklin, c. 1846

Portrait, cast wax

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2015

Wesley Enoch and David McAllister, 2020

Layered portraits from the collection

Purchased with funds provided by Alan Dodge AM and Neil Archibald 2021

Dissections

Previous exhibition, 2016

This display sets two impressive portraits from the collection into direct dialogue: Sam Jinks’ sculptural self portrait and Nick Mourtzakis’ painted portrait of David Chalmers, along with related maquette and sketches.Together they explore physical and psychological manifestations of the strata of self-hood.

TW Edgeworth David and Vilhjalmur Stefansson, 1924

Annie May Moore

an unknown artist, The London Magazine

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

David Brown Dignam [and] George Barrington drawn from the life

David Brown Dignam [and] George Barrington drawn from the life, 1777

Portrait, copperplate engraving on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2016

David Moore, Max Dupain and John Gollings

David Moore, Max Dupain and John Gollings, 1980

Kate Gollings

Portrait, colour digital print on photographic paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Marilyn Darling AC 2001

Stephen, Russell and David Page, c. 2000

Penny Tweedie

Francis Reiss and June Orford, Tim Ainsworth

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2004

The Godfrey family of Melways guides, 2009

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2009

Henry Moore, Much Hadham, Hertfordshire, c. 1955 (printed 2000)

Matthew Moore with pergola shadows, McMahon's Point, Sydney

Matthew Moore with pergola shadows, McMahon's Point, Sydney, 1978 (printed 2000)

Previous exhibition, 2000

From Face to Face

Portraits by David Moore

Through David Moore's camera we meet many of the outstanding figures of the twentieth century - in diverse areas of achievement - as well as anonymous faces which speak directly to us in these photographs.

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.

David McAllister to join National Portrait Gallery collection

26 April 2016

Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet, David McAllister AM will join the Portrait Gallery’s national collection in a newly-commissioned portrait taken by illustrious Australian photographer, Peter Brew-Bevan.

What the tree saw: David Foster, 2018

by Jacqui Stockdale

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

Jessica Mauboy, 2018

by David Rosetzky

Portrait, pen and ink on paper

Commissioned with funds provided by Sony Music Entertainment Australia 2018

Ivan Gaal

Vox pops

I know David, whom I used to work with 40 years ago, when he got his HIV/AIDS.

Charles Lloyd Jones, n.d.

Louis Kahan AO

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mrs Lily Kahan 2017
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Brian Walsh, David Jones,

Joe Greenberg

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

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2001

Three Dimensional

Magazine article by Kate Gollings, 2004

Kate Gollings describes an encounter between three generations of Australian photographers; David Moore, Max Dupain and John Gollings.

Lucio Galletto OAM

Lucio Galletto OAM (birth date undisclosed) was born into a family of farmers and restaurateurs in north-west Italy.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir Charles Lloyd Jones

The private life of a portrait

Sir Charles Lloyd Jones (1878-1958), merchant and arts patron, grew up in Sydney, where he studied at Julian Ashton's art school in 1895.

1 portrait in the collection

Before hand

Previous exhibition, 2020

Revealing the backstories behind the NPG collection, Before hand features interviews with artists and sitters as well as working drawings, scrapbooks, sketches and footage taken in artists’ studios and out on location.

Sir Richard Branson, 1999 by David Mach (b. 1956)

Best of British

Contemporary Portraits from the National Portrait Gallery, London

Previous exhibition, 2000

For the first hundred years or so of its existence, The National Portrait Gallery in London had no contemporary collection at all

Fleeing figure, 1988

Bea Maddock AM, Larry Rawlings

Portrait, colour photo screenprint on paper

Gift of David Archer 2016

Bangarra brothers: songman, storyteller, dancer

Passion

Creative kin

Listen: Mysterious eyes

Arthur Boyd portraits from 1945

December 2001 - February 2002

An open house, recollections of my early life: extracts from the reminiscences of David Boyd.

Portrait 2

Portrait, oil on canvas laid on masonite

This issue of Portrait Magazine features David Moore, Midnight Oil, Dr Joan Croll by John Brack, the acquisition of the Captain Cook portrait, and more.

Brian Fitzpatrick, 1953

Graeme Inson

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Sheila and David Fitzpatrick in memory of their father 2008

Paul Newton

Paul Newton (b. 1961), is a Sydney-based portrait painter noted for his ability to capture likeness and sensibility.

6 portraits in the collection

Walter Reginald Hume, c. 1944

Sir William Dargie CBE

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Hume OAM 2016

Edward Lloyd Jones, c. 1885

Herbert Beecroft

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Susanna de Vienne, Sarah Wood and David Lloyd Jones 2009
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Sage

Sage (b. 1963) was born in Wales and studied at the School of Documentary Photography in South Wales under magnum photographer David Hurn.

7 portraits in the collection

Ian Fairweather, c. 1966

Ray Crooke AM

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Crooke 2011
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Donors

$10,000 - $49,999

Honour board

Gervaise Purcell

Portrait, oil on composition board

Gervaise Purcell was a commercial photographer specialising in fashion.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir Charles Lloyd Jones, 1951

Sir William Dobell OBE

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Simpson family in memory of Caroline Simpson OAM 2008
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Sporting Archibald

Previous exhibition, 2000

Celebrating the focus on sport during 2000, this special exhibition features our national sporting heroes and heroines immortalised on canvas

Bare

Degrees of undress

Previous exhibition, 2015

Bare: Degrees of undress celebrates the candid, contrived, natural, sexy, ironic, beautiful, and fascinating in Australian portraiture that shows a bit of skin.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2016

Previous exhibition, 2016

The National Photographic Portrait Prize 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.

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.

Claude-Marie Dubufe

Previous exhibition, 2019

Claude-Marie Dubufe, born in Paris, is said to have studied with Jacques-Louis David.

1 portrait in the collection

Eye to eye

Eye to Eye is a summer Portrait Gallery Collection remix arranged by degree of eye contact – from turned away with eyes closed all the way through to right-back-at-you – as we explore artists’ and subjects’ choices around the direction of the gaze.

Troppo Architects

Previous exhibition, 2007

The studios of Troppo Architects are located away from Australia’s major urban centres.

A D Hope and his circle

To celebrate the centenary of the birth of poet Alec Derwent Hope AC OBE (1907-2000), the National Portrait Gallery exhibited a selection from its many portraits of Australian poets and authors.

On train from New York to Memphis, July 4, 1956 by Alfred Wertheimer

Elvis At 21

Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer

Previous exhibition, 2013

Elvis at 21 is a photographic exhibition capturing Elvis’ rise to fame in the year 1956, before security and money built walls between him and his fans.

Jane Mander Jones, 1853

Henry Robinson Smith

Portrait, oil on canvas laid on composition board

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Susanna de Vienne, Sarah Wood and David Lloyd Jones 2009.
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2014

Previous exhibition, 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.

Earl Carter

Earl Carter completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Photography at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology before embarking on his a freelance photographic career in 1981.

1 portrait in the collection

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

Robert Grieve

Robert Grieve (1924-2006), painter and printmaker, exhibited in Melbourne in 1948 before leaving for Europe and England, where he studied lithography at the Regent Polytechnic.

1 portrait in the collection

Trevor Jamieson, 2016

Brett Canét-Gibson

Purchased 2018

The Assumption of Virginity, 2014

by Xanthe Dobbie

Previous exhibition, 2009

Finalist, MDPA 2014

Peter Sculthorpe

A Celebration

To celebrate Peter Sculthorpe's 80th birthday, the National Portrait Gallery has created a feature exhibition of portraits and associated biographic material drawn from the National Portrait Gallery and the composer’s personal 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.

2020 Annual Appeal

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

National Portrait Gallery Director's tenure ends in triumph

30 November 2018

National Portrait Gallery Director Angus Trumble is ending his five-year tenure with a flourish, after announcing that Gallery publication Dempsey’s People: A Folio of British Street Portraits 1824-1844 has been awarded the 2018 William MB Berger Prize for British Art History.

Dissections: Layered portraits from the collection is now open

19 August 2016

Portrait Photography from the Collection

Dissections, showcases the hyper-realist sculptural self-portrait of artist Sam Jinks, Divide, alongside the painted portrait of philosopher David Chalmers by Nick Mourtzakis, which was commissioned by the Gallery in 2011.

In the mirror: self portrait with Joy Hester

Depth of Field

Previous exhibition, 2004

Over the last five years the National Portrait Gallery has developed a collection of portrait photographs that reflects both the strength and diversity of Australian achievement as well as the talents of our photographers.

WHO ARE YOU

Australian portraiture

Upcoming exhibition

Featuring more than two-hundred works by Australian artists, the exhibition explores our inner worlds and outer selves, as well as issues of sociability, intimacy, isolation, celebrity and ordinariness.

Nancy Menetrey

Nancy Menetrey (née Wilkinson) was born in Sydney in 1924. After serving with the Australian Women's Land Army, formed during the Second World War to address labour shortages in the agricultural sector, she travelled overseas in the early 1950s, living and working in London for a number of years.

1 portrait in the collection

Sharon Zwi

Finalist interviews

We were in Gaza shooting a documentary and we had heard about the orphanages and wanted to visit and document some of the children who had lost parents during the wars in Gaza.

The Dipper

Moustaches

One of the versions of thick, macho moustache strongly associated in the Australian visual lexicon with sportsmen of the 1970s and 80s.

The Photographic Society of Victoria, Melbourne

The Photographic Society of Victoria was formed in 1876 to 'bring photographers together in a friendly spirit, in order to advance the art and science of photography in the colony, without any attempt at binding or dictating to members any special trading rules, such as charges for photographs or hours or days for closing or opening their respective establishments.' At the time of the first annual meeting on 9 March 1877 there were 61 members, five whom were ladies.

1 portrait in the collection

Mervyn Godfrey OAM

Mervyn Godfrey OAM (1924-2013), Dean Godfrey (b. 1970), David Godfrey (b.

2 portraits in the collection

Dean Godfrey

Mervyn Godfrey OAM (1924-2013), Dean Godfrey (b. 1970), David Godfrey (b.

1 portrait in the collection

Murray Godfrey

Garry Shead and Adrienne Levenson

Mervyn Godfrey OAM (1924-2013), Dean Godfrey (b. 1970), David Godfrey (b.

1 portrait in the collection

Soffritto di Lucio, 2009

Portrait, oil on linen

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Lucio Galletto OAM 2012
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Noel Rubie

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, sepia toned on paper

Noel Rubie (1901–1976) was a painter and photographer who had a portrait and industrial photography studio in Sydney and worked during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.

1 portrait in the collection

Nora Heysen with her dog sitting outside her home, Hunters Hill, Sydney

Nora Heysen with her dog sitting outside her home, Hunters Hill, Sydney, 2000

Sage

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2001

Nora Heysen with her dog standing outside her home, Hunters Hill, Sydney

Nora Heysen with her dog standing outside her home, Hunters Hill, Sydney, 2000

Sage

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, sepia toned on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2001

Barry Walsh

Archived media releases 2017

Barry Walsh (b. 1951) is a painter, photographer and printmaker who has studied in Italy and France and has exhibited since the early '80s in Europe as well as Australia.

1 portrait in the collection

Calling all family history buffs

3 July 2017

The National Portrait Gallery is calling on family history enthusiasts and amateur historians to tell it more about the people in its new show, Dempsey’s People: A folio of British street portraits from 1824-1844.

Patrick White at Centennial Park, 1979–1980

White Whiteley

The portrait of Patrick White by Brett Whiteley

Previous exhibition, 2012

Eleven works by Brett Whiteley, centred around his scintillating 'Patrick White at Centennial Park 1979-1980'.

Bleddyn Butcher

Bleddyn Butcher was born in London and came to Australia when he was six.

5 portraits in the collection

George Judah Cohen

Arthur Boyd portraits from 1945

George Judah Cohen (1842-1937), banker, took over the Maitland office of his father's wholesale firm David Cohen and Co.

1 portrait in the collection

Mysterious eyes

Previous exhibition, 2016

Boyd’s self-portrait at age 25 is joined by his equally emotive portraits of those around him.

Noah Taylor

Noah Taylor (b. 1969) left school at 16 to join Melbourne's St Martin's Youth Theatre.

1 portrait in the collection

Neil Armfield, 2010

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned 2010

Slim Dusty OBE

Slim Dusty AO MBE (1927-2003) (David Gordon Kirkpatrick) is Australia's most prolific recording artist, and his travelling show has become an Australian tradition.

2 portraits in the collection

George Milpurrurru

George Milpurrurru (1934-1998), Ganalbingu (Yolgnu) painter, was one of the most important bark painters of the twentieth century.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir Douglas Mawson, c. 1916

Thomson Studios

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mrs J.Q. McEwin 2000

Basil P. Bressler

Basil Philip Bressler, who died in 2000, was a surveyor with an amateur interest in art and music.

Portrait 61

Summer 2018/19

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, sepia toned on paper

Max Dupain's unknown portrait subjects, phrenologist Madame Sibly, Indigenous-European relationships, Thomas Gainsborough and more.

Nora Heysen inside her home, Hunters Hill, Sydney

Nora Heysen inside her home, Hunters Hill, Sydney, 2000

Sage

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2001

Professor Derek Freeman

Derek Freeman (1916–2001) was an anthropologist. Born in New Zealand, he gained his doctorate from Cambridge before moving to Canberra in 1955 to work at the Australian National University.

1 portrait in the collection

Carla Zampatti AC

Italian-born Carla Zampatti AC (1942–2021) moved to a small town in Western Australia with her family in 1950.

1 portrait in the collection

Living Memory National Photographic Portrait Prize finalist images

Prizes

Thanks to Canon Australia, the Winner of Living Memory will be awarded over $50,000 in prizes. Thanks to Eizo, the Highly Commended winner will receive a ColorEdge monitor, and the winner of the Art Handlers' Award will receive $2,000 thanks to IAS Fine Art Logistics.

Thomas Pennant

Thomas Pennant (1726-1798), Welsh traveller, antiquary, naturalist, and author, visited Joseph Banks in September 1771, shortly after Banks returned from his voyage with Cook on the Endeavour.

1 portrait in the collection

Jimmy Wululu

Jimmy Wululu (1936-2005) was a Gupapuyngu (Yolgnu) painter and sculptor.

1 portrait in the collection

Portrait 57

Winter 2017

Archived media releases 2017

The discovery of Dempsey's People, Australian rugby greats, Athol Shmith's progressive pictures, and powerful Indigenous portraits.

Billy the match man, Liverpool, 1844 by John Dempsey

Rare Set of Watercolour Paintings on Display for the First Time

15 June 2017

A rare and enchanting collection of 52 portraits of British street people will be on display for the first time in the National Portrait Gallery’s winter show, Dempsey’s People: a folio of British street portraits 1824-1844.

Georgie Swift

Georgie Swift (1920-2008), journalist, publicist and chatelaine, was born Georgette Marie Hiro Matsui to a French-born mother and Japanese father in Sydney after the First World War.

1 portrait in the collection

Karin Catt

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

Jules Henry Roy Rousel

Jules Henry Roy Rousel (1897-1985) studied at the Royal Art Society School from 1912 to 1918 and the Slade School and RAS in London from 1935-1938.

2 portraits in the collection

Rolf de Heer

Previous exhibition, 2014

Rolf de Heer (b. 1951) was born in Heemskerk, Holland, and migrated to Australia with his family in 1959.

1 portrait in the collection

Rick Amor

21 Portraits

Rick Amor, noblest yet most unaffected of contemporary Australian portraitists, is also a painter of enigmatic, ominous landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes that haunt the viewer like dreams, dimly-recalled.

Collection: Icons

Volume One

Previous exhibition, 2018

When a portrait communicates determination and individuality as boldly as these do, it has the potential to become an iconic image. For the Gallery’s 20th birthday this display brings together a group contemporary photographic portraits of inspiring women and men.

Icons

Parliament House

Touring exhibition, 2019

Annual Appeal

Listed by year

Honour board

Sir Joshua Reynolds

Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), acknowledged as one of the world's great portraitists, was master of portraits in the 'Grand Manner', replete with moral and heroic symbolism.

3 portraits in the collection

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2018

8 March 2018

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

D. H. Souter

David Henry Souter (1862-1935) was a cartoonist, painter and art editor.

2 portraits in the collection

Montalbetti + Campbell

Canadian-born photographic team Denis Montalbetti and Gay Campbell arrived in Australia in 1988.

14 portraits in the collection

Marcie Elizabeth Fairfax

Marcie Elizabeth 'Betty' Fairfax (1907–1995) was a leading figure in fashionable circles in Sydney in the 1920s and 1930s.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Henderson Croll

Robert Henderson Croll (1869-1947), author, worked as a clerk in the Victorian public service for over 40 years, but is better remembered for his books and journalism.

2 portraits in the collection

Andrew Maccoll

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

George Hoyningen-Huene

Baron George Hoyningen-Huene (1900–1968) was a high-profile American fashion photographer and Hollywood figure.

1 portrait in the collection

‘Never break this heart of stone’

Lust

Desired by millions

Bruce Dawe

Bruce Dawe AO (1930-2020), poet and teacher, was born in Fitzroy and worked as a labourer, clerk, sawmill hand, farmhand and postman before joining the RAAF in 1959.

1 portrait in the collection

Lyndon Dadswell, with his sculpture 'Native'

Lyndon Dadswell CMG

Lyndon Dadswell CMG (1908-1986) studied at the Julian Ashton School before working with Rayner Hoff from 1926 to 1929 and Paul Montford from 1929 to 1935.

3 portraits in the collection

Googie Withers AO

Georgette Lizette (Googie) Withers AO (1917–2011), stage, film and television actor, was born in India and studied drama at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London.

1 portrait in the collection

Helen Grieve

Helen Grieve (1931–1981), child actress, was born in Sydney. Her first film role was in The Overlanders (1946), opposite Chips Rafferty.

1 portrait in the collection

Mathew Lynn

Mathew Lynn (b. 1963), primarily a portrait painter, lives and works between Sydney and the Blue Mountains.

2 portraits in the collection

Roderick Shaw

Roderick Shaw (1915-1992) is perhaps best known for his worker paintings of the social realist school, such as Cable Layers (in the Art Gallery of NSW).

2 portraits in the collection

Enrico Taglietti AO

Portrait, pencil and pastel on paper

Enrico Taglietti (1926-2019), architect, spent his early childhood in Milan, moving to Eritrea in the year leading up to World War 2.

1 portrait in the collection

Portrait of Professor Derek Freeman, 1996

Ralph Heimans AM

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Andree Johnson-Bell

Andree Johnston-Bell (1917-2007), pioneer publisher of articles on Australian antiques, was born in China of Belgian parents and educated in Belgium.

1 portrait in the collection

The Merioola Group, 1940s

Alec Murray

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2008. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Adam Knott

Adam Knott (b. 1966) began taking photographs for local newspapers as a schoolboy in St George, South Sydney.

7 portraits in the collection

Rolf de Heer, Adelaide, SA, 2004

John Elliott

Portrait, oil on hessian laid on cardboard

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005

George Duncan, c. 1940

Alison Rehfisch

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mrs Margaret Adams 1999

John Sumner

Previous exhibition, 2009

John Sumner (1924-2013), described as the 'father of Australian drama', trained and worked in repertory theatres in England and Scotland before the war, during which he visited Melbourne as a sailor.

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.

National Portrait Gallery unveils twenty new portrait commissions to celebrate twenty years

18 October 2018

Portrait, cold cast bronze

The National Portrait Gallery has unveiled twenty new portrait commissions of Australian leaders and individualists as part of its twentieth birthday celebrations in a new exhibition, 20/20: Celebrating twenty years with twenty new portrait commissions.

Sir Percy Spender, 1981

Alex Kolozsy

Gift of the artist and the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party of Australia 2004

Peter Brew-Bevan Portraits

In this exhibition Sydney based photographer Peter Brew-Bevan brings together an intimate collection of works that highlight his passion for the genre of portraiture over the last 10 years

Sydney Edward Gregory

Sydney Edward Gregory (1870–1929) was born on the site of the Sydney Cricket Ground, the son of batsman Ned Gregory (1839–1899), who was one of five boys from the same family who all played cricket at national or international level.

1 portrait in the collection

Chandler P. Coventry AM

Chandler Phillip Coventry AM (1924–1999), grazier, gallerist, art collector and arts patron, was born in Armidale, New South Wales to an established New England grazing family.

1 portrait in the collection

Adam Cullen

Adam Cullen (1965-2012), painter, studied art in Sydney from 1986 to 1999, when he obtained his master’s degree in fine arts from the University of New South Wales.

8 portraits in the collection

Living Memory – National Photographic Portrait Prize extended to January 2022

6 September 2021

Media

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.

John Bell AO OBE

Portrait, pen and ink, brush and ink on paper

John Bell AO OBE (b. 1940), actor and director, is one of Australia's best-known theatre personalities.

3 portraits in the collection

Googie Withers, 1962

Don Bachardy

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

The People’s Choice Awards

16 June 2020

Portraits in the Landscape

The votes have been counted, and the winners of the National Portrait Gallery’s People’s Choice Awards for the Prize exhibitions are...

Open Air

Previous exhibition, 2008

Open Air is an exhibition of portraits of Australians in environments of particular significance to them.

A bond of friendship

Magazine article by Yvonne Audette AM, 2005

Australia's major abstract painter Yvonne Audette discusses her portrait of sculptor Robert Kippel.

Cecil Beaton

Portraits

Portrait, oil on canvas laid on masonite

Accomplished illustrator, painter, writer and diarist, set designer and one of the most distinguished photographers of the twentieth century, Cecil Beaton is renowned for his portraits of well known faces from the worlds of fashion, literature, and film.

Carl Cooper, 1945-1946

Arthur Boyd AC OBE

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Bequest of Alan Boxer 2014

Lily Brett OAM

Lily Brett OAM (b. 1946) is a New York-based novelist, essayist and poet.

2 portraits in the collection

Shane Maloney

Shane Maloney (b. 1953) is the creator of the popular 'Murray Whelan' series of six crime novels, beginning with Stiff (1994) and The Brush-Off (1996) and currently ending at Sucked In (2007).

1 portrait in the collection

Carol Spencer AM

Carol Spencer AM (b. 1943), known as Carlotta, is a cabaret performer, television personality and LGBTIQ+ advocate.

1 portrait in the collection

Betty Burstall AO

Betty Burstall AO (1926–2013) played a vital role in the development of theatre in Australia.

1 portrait in the collection

Tommy Tycho AM MBE

Tommy Tycho AM MBE (1928-2013), musician, began studying at the Conservatorium of Music in his native Budapest at the age of eight.

1 portrait in the collection

Enrico Taglietti, c. 1985

Edward Richards

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Sir Jack Brabham OBE

Sir Jack Brabham OBE (1926-2014), racing car driver, was born in Hurstville, NSW, and studied mechanical engineering before working as a mechanic for the RAAF during WW2.

2 portraits in the collection

Society of Artists Selection Committee, 1907

Henry King

Purchased 2008

2015-17 Acquisition Fund

From 2015 to 2017 the Acquisition Fund was focussed on Reg Richardson AM by Mitch Cairns, a finalist in the Archibald Prize 2014, and a great example of minimalist portraiture.

Slim Dusty at Carlton Hill Station, WA, 1993

John Elliott

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

Jimmy Wululu, 1986

Purchased 2005

John Darling

John Darling (1923-2015), businessman, company director and media producer was the son of Harold Gordon Darling, chair of BHP.

1 portrait in the collection

Dame Roma Mitchell, 1998

Jessica Hromas

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

Cherry Hood

Portrait, albumen photograph on cabinet card

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

3 portraits in the collection

Syd Gregory (Sydney Edward Gregory, member of the 1896 Australian Cricket Team), 1896

H Parker Rolfe

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2014

Andree Johnston-Bell, c. 1945

Walter Langhammer

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Jocelyne MacLeod 2008

John Bell, 1962 (printed 2006)

Jozef Vissel

Portrait, pencil and oil on canvas laid on chipboard

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2006

Zelman Cowen, c. 1977

Ray Crooke AM

Gift of David Crooke 2011. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Tim Burstall, Andamooka (filming of the Last of the Knucklemen)

Tim Burstall, Andamooka (filming of the Last of the Knucklemen), c. 1979

Rennie Ellis

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2006

Dame Helen Blaxland DBE

Previous exhibition, 2009

Dame Helen Blaxland DBE (1907–1989), conservationist and fundraiser, studied at the Julian Ashton School of Art in Sydney.

1 portrait in the collection

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2009

In its second year at the National Portrait Gallery, and for the first time touring to other venues, the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2009 continues to present surprising perspectives on the nature of contemporary portrait photography.

Lily Brett, n.d. (printed 2021)

Jacqueline Mitelman

Purchased with funds provided by Jillian Broadbent AC 2021

Portraits for Posterity

Drawn from some of the many donations made to the Gallery's collection, the exhibition Portraits for Posterity pays homage both to the remarkable (and varied) group of Australians who are portrayed in the portraits and the generosity of the many donors who have presented them to the Gallery.

Wesley Stacey

Wesley Stacey (b. 1941), photographer, was an apprentice silk screener and studied drawing and design at East Sydney Technical College in the early 1960s before working as a graphic designer and photographer in Sydney and London.

3 portraits in the collection

Phillip Gudthaykudthay, 1986

Purchased 2005

Carla Zampatti, 2015

Georges Antoni

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2016

Geoffrey Rush, 1997

Montalbetti + Campbell

Previous exhibition, 2003

Purchased 1999

Max Dupain

The Vintage Years

During his long and distinguished career Max Dupain took thousands of photographs of people

George Fetting

George Fetting (b. 1964) is a Sydney-based photographer specialising in portrait, travel and editorial work.

8 portraits in the collection

Shakespeare to Winehouse: Icons from the National Portrait Gallery, London

Announcing Shakespeare to Winehouse

24 November 2021

Media

More than eighty treasures from the National Portrait Gallery London will travel to Canberra for a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from March 2022.

The crime writer Shane Maloney, 2004

Rick Amor

Portrait, albumen photograph on carte de visite

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2010
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2022

Current exhibition

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.

The first Australian first-class cricket team to tour England and North America

The first Australian first-class cricket team to tour England and North America, 1878

A & G Taylor

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2013

Megan Gale

Megan Gale (b. 1975), model, entrepreneur and media personality, achieved fame in Italy before becoming widely recognised in Australia.

1 portrait in the collection

Portrait 63

Winter 2019

Rod McNicol's method and motivation, 19th century Indigenous peoples, Barrie Cassidy on Bob Hawke, five generations of the Kang family from Korea and more.

Stephen and Russell Page, 1993 (printed 2011)

Robert Rosen

Gift of Robert Rosen 2012

Brian Dunlop

Brian Dunlop studied at East Sydney Technical College and won the Le Gay Brereton Prize for Drawing while still a student.

7 portraits in the collection

Ross Watson

Ross Watson specialises in interpolating representations of lithe semi-naked men into copies of paintings by masters such as Vermeer, Ter Borsch, David and Bronzino.

2 portraits in the collection

George Milpurrurru, 1986

Purchased 2005

Noah Taylor, 1994 (printed 2010)

Ross Honeysett

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2010

Portrait of Bennilong, a Native of New Holland

Bennelong

Magazine article by Djon Mundine OAM, 2017

Bennelong (c. 1764-1813), a Wangal man, is one of the most significant Aboriginal people in the early history of Australia.

2 portraits in the collection

Big shots

Djon Mundine OAM brings poignant memory and context to Martin van der Wal’s 1986 portrait photographs of storied Aboriginal artists.

Lady [Hannah] Lloyd Jones, 1970

Judy Cassab AO CBE

Portrait, oil on masonite

Gift of Charles E. Jones and Kim Lloyd Jones 2019. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Tim Jarvis, 2018

Doug Gimesy

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2019

2021 Annual Appeal

Nicolas-Martin Petit after Barthélemy Roger

In 2021 the Annual Appeal was focussed on Peter Brew-Bevan's portraits of athletes Turia Pitt, Leisel Jones OAM and Ellie Cole OAM.

Gnoung-a-gnoung-a Mour-re-mour-ga (dit Collins)

Gnoung-a-gnoung-a Mour-re-mour-ga (dit Collins), 1807-1817

Portrait, engraving on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2009

Darling Portrait Prize

Previous exhibition, 2020

The Darling Prize is a new annual prize for Australian portrait painters, painting Australian sitters. The winner receives a cash prize of $75,000.

Maggie Tabberer AO

Portrait, pencil on paper

Maggie Tabberer AO (b. 1936), designer, writer, editor, publicist and television presenter, is one of Australia's best-known personalities.

1 portrait in the collection

Marcie Elizabeth Wilson, 1922

George Lambert

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Simpson family in memory of Caroline Simpson OAM 2008
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Margaret Fink, 1975

Lewis Morley

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

Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts (b. 1968), actress, was born in England and came to Australia from Wales at the age of fourteen.

1 portrait in the collection

Betty Burstall, 1945

Arthur Boyd AC OBE

Purchased 1998

Carlotta, Kings Cross (Les Girls), 1970-1971

Rennie Ellis

Purchased 2006

June Dally-Watkins OAM

June Dally-Watkins OAM (1927–2020), model, deportment icon and entrepreneur, grew up on a property at Watsons Creek in the New England district of New South Wales.

2 portraits in the collection

Lady [Hannah] Lloyd Jones OBE

Hannah Benyon Lloyd Jones OBE (1901–1982) was the third wife of Sir Charles Lloyd Jones, the chairman of David Jones from 1920 until his death in 1958.

3 portraits in the collection

Patrick White

Patrick White (1912–1990), acknowledged as Australia’s pre-eminent novelist of the 20th century, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1973 for The Eye of the Storm, ‘for an epic and psychological narrative art which has introduced a new continent into literature’.

7 portraits in the collection

Dame Helen Blaxland, 1986

Max Dupain OBE

Gift of Danina Dupain Anderson 2021. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Play on (A portrait of Neale Daniher), 2021

Michael Peck

Portrait, oil on linen

Commissioned with funds provided by The Calvert-Jones Foundation, The Sid and Fiona Myer Family Foundation and Dr David Thurin AM and Lisa Thurin 2021

Naomi Watts, 2003

Gift of the artist 2004

Portrait of a beautiful mind - Adam Cullen, Blue Mountains

Portrait of a beautiful mind - Adam Cullen, Blue Mountains, 2005 (printed 2019)

George Fetting

Purchased with funds provided by Alan Dodge AM & Neil Archibald 2019

Megan Gale, 2002

Ellen Dahl

Gift of the artist 2006

Mark Ella AM

Mark Ella AM (b. 1959) was one of four Australians named amongst the eleven inaugural ‘legends’ of the International Rugby Board Hall of Fame in 2013.

1 portrait in the collection

Neil Armfield (study), 2010

Portrait, oil on canvas laid on board

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned 2010

Douglas Mawson, 1933

Henry James Haley

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Gareth Mawson Thomas and Pamela Karran-Thomas of the Mawson family 2010
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Time is precious

Magazine article by David Sequeira, 2004

Headspace5: Crystal Gazing highlighted the diversity of materials and techniques that young people use for self expression. David Sequeira presents a personal view of three works in the exhibition.

Neil Armfield (study), 2010

Portrait, spray paint on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned 2010

Neil Armfield (study), 2010

Portrait, spray paint on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned 2010

Gail Kelly, 2018

by Paul Newton

Commissioned with funds provided by Westpac Group and Optus 2018

Douglas Annand

Portrait, oil and hand-stitching with diamantes on canvas

Douglas Annand (1903–1976), graphic designer and artist, moved to Sydney from Brisbane in 1930.

2 portraits in the collection

Margaret Fink, 1989

Kerrie Lester

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

2013-14 Acquisition Fund

Previous exhibition, 2010

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.

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.

Australians in Hollywood

Previous exhibition, 2003

Although perceived to be a recent phenomenon, the 'Aussie invasion' of Hollywood can actually be traced as far back as the early 1900s

George Hoyningen-Huene and Jessie the Barmaid, 1937

Max Dupain OBE

Photography and mortality

Gift of Danina Dupain Anderson 2021. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

The Last Picture Show (Lewis Morley and Henry Talbot)

Reveries

Previous exhibition, 2007

Featuring works by Australian and New Zealand photographers from the late 1970s up to the present day Reveries focuses on images made in the presence of or consciousness of death.

Arthur Boyd Portraits

Previous exhibition, 1999

This is the first in a series of National Portrait Gallery exhibitions to survey the portraits painted by artists who are not thought of, primarily, as portrait painters

Do you know more?

The National Portrait Gallery is calling on family history enthusiasts and amateur historians to help reveal more about the people in Dempsey’s People: A folio of British street portraits from 1824-1844.

Johann Zoffany

Johann Zoffany, painter of portraits and conversation pieces, grew up in the court of the Prince von Thurn und Taxis in Germany, where his father was employed.

1 portrait in the collection

James Houston

Scoring first prize in New South Wales for Art in the 1983 HSC was a signal that a talented creative career lay ahead and this has indeed proven the case.

2 portraits in the collection

2012-13 Acquisition Fund

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

Margaret Fink

Margaret Fink (b. 1933), film producer, was a key figure in the renaissance of Australian cinema in the 1970s.

2 portraits in the collection

Christine Rivett

Amy Christine Rivett (1891–1962), doctor, contributed greatly to medicine and women's health.

1 portrait in the collection

William Macleod

William Macleod, artist and magazine proprietor, attended the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts as a young teenager and saw his first illustration published in 1866.

4 portraits in the collection

Thomas Townshend, Lord Viscount Sydney

Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney PC (1733-1800) was British Home Secretary in the Pitt Government, given responsibility for devising a plan to settle convicts at Botany Bay.

1 portrait in the collection

Some lads #1 (Russell Page), 1986

Tracey Moffatt AO

Magazine article by Robert McFarlane, 2004

Gift of the artist 1998. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Insightful

Henri-Cartier-Bresson invented the grammar for photographing life in the 20th century.

George Judah Cohen, 1925

George Lambert

Gift of the National Australia Bank 2002

Clifton Pugh

Australians

Portrait, triptych of type C photographs on paper

This exhibition offers a comprehensive display of Clifton Pugh's portraits revealing his development and growth from tonal paintings to a unique style that was in demand from politicians, artists, academics and Australian personalities.

Russell Page in Venice, 1997

Brenda L Croft

Purchased 2002

Dave Graney, 1996

Bleddyn Butcher

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002

Rodney Hall OAM

Rodney Hall OAM (b. 1935), writer, came to Australia in 1947 and settled in Brisbane.

2 portraits in the collection

Rennie Ellis

Aussies All

Rennie Ellis: Aussies All is a celebration of the life and work of the late Australian photographer Rennie Ellis.

The painter transmogrified and Mrs Smith

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

Philippe Mora

Previous exhibition, 2019

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

Primed

Some Prime Ministers

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

Geoffrey Dyer

Magazine article by David Ward, 2010

Geoff Dyer (1947-2020) was renowned landscape and portrait painter whose practice depicted Tasmania and its people.

1 portrait in the collection

Hide/Seek

David Ward writes about the exhibition Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture on display at the National Portrait Gallery, Washington.

Stephen Page AO

Stephen Page AO (b. 1965), Nunukul dancer and choreographer, has been artistic director of Bangarra Dance Theatre since 1991.

2 portraits in the collection

2014-15 Acquisition Fund

Magazine article by Christine Clark, 2009

Kristin Headlam's portrait of Chris Wallace-Crabbe was acquired with the support of the Circle of Friends in 2014.

My Favourite Australian

The Australian public was invited in 2008 to vote for their favourite Australian. After the votes were tallied an exhibition of the top-ten Popular Australians and the top-twenty unsung heroes was displayed at the National Portrait Gallery.

The Hon. Dame Roma Mitchell AC DBE CVO QC

The Hon. Dame Roma Mitchell AC DBE CVO QC (1913–2000) was the first Australian woman to be a Queen's Counsel, Supreme Court judge, Acting Chief Justice, Deputy University Chancellor, Chancellor and State Governor.

2 portraits in the collection

Painter John Brack with Professor Alex Mitchell and Sir Garfield Barwick

The Rt. Hon Sir Garfield Barwick AK GCMG KC

The Rt Hon Sir Garfield Barwick AK GCMG KC (1903–1997) was Chief Justice of Australia from 27 April 1964 to 11 February 1981 – the longest serving Chief Justice of Australia.

2 portraits in the collection

Face the Music

Australia has become recognised for the range and talent of its musicians, composers, conductors and celebrities in general associated with the music industry

Russell Page

Nicolas-Martin Petit after Barthélemy Roger

Russell Page (1968–2002), choreographer, dancer and actor, was from the Nunukul (Noonuccal) people and the Munaldjali clan of the Yugambeh people of south-east Queensland.

4 portraits in the collection

Cour-rou-bari-gal, 1807

Portrait, engraving, hand coloured on paper

Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2008

Nicolas-Martin Petit

Nicholas-Martin Petit was born in Paris, the son of a fan maker, and learned graphic art in the studio of Jacques Louis David.

9 portraits in the collection

Hardtmuth Lahm

Previous exhibition, 1999

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

1 portrait in the collection

Glossy - Faces Magazines Now

Magazines are the portrait galleries of the 90s... Glossy is about magazines. The exhibition presents the work of eight photographers, Australian by birth or long-term residency, who are producing portraits for publication in magazines around the world.

Masters of Fare

Chefs, winemakers, providores

Previous exhibition, 2004

Masters of fare: chefs, winemakers, providores celebrates men and women who have championed the unique culinary characteristics and produce of Australia, enriching our lives with new ideas and new flavours over the past forty years.

Nick Cave and Rowland S. Howard (of The Birthday Party)

Nick Cave and Rowland S. Howard (of The Birthday Party), 1983

Bleddyn Butcher

Magazine article by Christopher Baker, 2013

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002

Hot Scots

James Holloway describes the first portraits you encounter when entering the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Tommy Tycho, 1986

Calvin Winetroube

Portrait, colour photolithograph

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Vicky Tycho 2013

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.

Lloyd Rees at the Rock in 1975, 1984

Roderick Shaw

Portrait, oil and oil pastel on canvas

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2001

Billy Hughes bottle stopper, 1911-1921

Mashman Bros. Ltd.

Portrait, ceramic and cork

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2009

Alex Frayne

An interview with the photographer.

Australian Visit

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.

Donald Friend

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2020

Donald Friend (1915-1989), painter, writer and diarist, studied at the RAS and Dattilo-Rubbo’s school in Sydney before spending 1935 and 1936 at the Westminster School in London.

2 portraits in the collection

The long game

Penelope Grist spends some quality time with the Portrait Gallery’s summer collection exhibition, Eye to Eye.

Style Over Substance 2020 (still), 2020 The Huxleys

Observation point

Magazine article by The Huxleys, 2022

Growing up feeling isolated, ostracised and ornate in the heated homogeny of the suburbs of Perth and the Gold Coast we often longed and dreamed for an escape.

Apollo's breath

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2016

Christopher Chapman delights in the intimacy of Robert Mapplethorpe's photography

Sir Percy Spender KCVO KBE QC

Sir Percy Spender KCVO KBE QC (1897-1985) was a politician, statesman, diplomat and judge.

3 portraits in the collection

Tim Jarvis AM

Tim Jarvis AM (b. 1966), environmental scientist, author and adventurer, was the Australian Geographic Society’s Adventurer of the Year in 2013 and its Conservationist of the Year in 2016 – the only person ever to have received both awards.

1 portrait in the collection

Carl Cooper

Carl Cooper (1912-1966), ceramic decorator, contracted poliomyelitis in his twenties.

1 portrait in the collection

Dame Annie Florence Cardell-Oliver DBE

Portrait, photo screenprint with ballpoint pen framing lines on paper

Dame Annie Florence Cardell-Oliver DBE (1876–1965), politician, grew up in Melbourne before marrying David Sykes Boyd, a wool buyer, and returning with him to England.

1 portrait in the collection

Self portrait, c. 1982

Bea Maddock AM

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Archer 2016

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.

Rachel Roxburgh

Rachel Roxburgh (1915–1991), artist, conservationist and architectural historian, grew up in Sydney's eastern suburbs and studied art at East Sydney Technical College and the Adelaide Perry Art School in the 1930s.

1 portrait in the collection

Alfie Sands

Clem, George, David, Alfie and Russell Sands were members of one of Australia's most famous sporting families.

2 portraits in the collection

Russell Sands

Clem, George, David, Alfie and Russell Sands were members of one of Australia's most famous sporting families.

2 portraits in the collection

Dave Sands

Clem, George, David, Alfie and Russell Sands were members of one of Australia's most famous sporting families.

2 portraits in the collection

Clem Sands

Clem, George, David, Alfie and Russell Sands were members of one of Australia's most famous sporting families.

2 portraits in the collection

George Sands

Clem, George, David, Alfie and Russell Sands were members of one of Australia's most famous sporting families.

2 portraits in the collection

Donald Friend, 1987

Greg Weight

Portrait, ink and charcoal on paper

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Donald Friend at Owl Creek, 1983

Lawrence Daws

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

Grow the Portrait Gallery of Australia

9 June 2016

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2018

The Portrait Gallery is calling for contributions to support in the acquisition of superb portraits for the national collection.

A guy from Paris

Sarah Engledow on a foundational gallery figure who was quick on the draw.

First Australian first-class cricket team

Infamy, the macabre & the portrait

The ‘first Australian first-class cricket team to tour England and North America’ was in fact the second Australian cricket side to contest matches internationally (a team of Indigenous players having done so in 1868), but it is considered the first official national representative team to tour overseas.

1 portrait in the collection

Sideshow Alley

Previous exhibition, 2015

Death masks, post-mortem drawings and other spooky and disquieting portraits... Come and see how portraits of infamous Australians were used in the 19th century.

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.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2020

Previous exhibition, 2020

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.

Lady [Hannah] Lloyd Jones, c. 1930

E.O. Hoppé

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2013

Gallery unveils Portrait of Mark Ella

12 May 2016

Magazine article by Lauren Dalla, 2003

Last night in Sydney, the National Portrait Gallery unveiled a newly commissioned portrait of Australian sporting legend Mark Ella AM.

A gift from the heart

Lauren Dalla examines the life of Basil Bressler, the art patron responsible for one of the NPG's most important bequests.

Lt. Genrl. the Rt Honble. Sir George Murray G.C.B., G.C.H. &c.

Lt. Genrl. the Rt Honble. Sir George Murray G.C.B., G.C.H. &c., 1838

John Cochran after Sir Thomas Lawrence

Portrait, engraving on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2018

Patrick White #1, 1980

William Yang

Purchased 1998

Barry Tuckwell, 1991

June Mendoza

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Tuckwell 2018

Portrait of Florence Broadhurst, 1968

Joshua Smith

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2007

Keith Miller, early 1950s (printed 2008)

Max Dupain OBE

Purchased 2008

Australian Tapestry Workshop

The Australian Tapestry Workshop (formerly the Victorian Tapestry Workshop) was established in 1976, following two years of planning and research on the part of its founding patrons, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch and Lady Joyce Delacombe.

2 portraits in the collection

Frank Lowy AC

Sir Frank Lowy AC (b. 1930) businessman, property developer and philanthropist, founded the Westfield group of shopping centres.

2 portraits in the collection

Spring exhibition program

18 August 2020

Portrait, chromolithograph on paper

The following on-line and physical exhibitions are planned to open at the National Portrait Gallery in coming months. For those who can’t travel at present, selected works from all exhibitions will be included online

Portrait jug of Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1925-1928

, Percy Metcalfe

Portrait, glazed ceramic

Purchased 2006

The Demon Bowler" Frederick Robert Spofforth (image plate from Vanity Fair), 1878

Sir Leslie Ward

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2002

Myles Nelson

Finalist interviews

It was definitely a candid encounter as was the expression on the face. It was constructed insofar as the image was deliberately taken from a distance so as to minimize intrusion and to magnify the effect of the image.

Inspiration + Realisation: John Singer Sargent

Magazine article by Katherine Russell, 2006

Katherine Russell examines the art of Australian artist Paul Newton, referencing the portraiture of John Singer Sargent.

Foundation members announced

18 May 2015

Archived media releases 2015

The newly-established National Portrait Gallery Foundation met for its inaugural meeting last Friday 15 May in Canberra.

Home is where the art is

Hosting a touring exhibition

Tedi Bills on how social media in the age of COVID-19 has fanned the flames of our portrait fascination.

Before hand

How is it done? How do artists capture someone’s presence and personality? What is the nature of this relationship? What does it feel like to be a sitter for a portrait in the national collection?

The Tichborne Claimant (Arthur Orton), c. 1872

Maull & Co Photographers

Portrait, albumen silver carte de visite

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2001

Nikki Toole

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2016

An interview with the photographer.

Boyd to man

Christopher Chapman looks at influences and insight in the formative years of Arthur Boyd.

Hattie Shepparde, 1872

Bardwell's Royal Studio

Portrait, carte de visite photograph

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Graham Smith 2009

Start Your Engines...

Magazine article by Catherine McDonough, 2006

The bronze sculpture by Julie Edgar reflects through both the material and representation the determined and straight-forward nature of Brabham.

Observation point

Magazine article by Tim Storrier, 2013

Tim Storrier describes the influences on the development of his artistic style.

The Story So Far...

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2002

A reflection on the National Portrait Gallery's first four years.

Portrait Donors

Listed by year

Honour board

Percy Leason

Percy Leason, artist, illustrator and cartoonist, grew up in Victoria's Wimmera region and trained in the rudiments of art in Nhill.

1 portrait in the collection

Australian Love Stories

4 January 2021

Media

A major new exhibition celebrating love in all its guises. Opening 20 March 2021.

Catherine Livingstone, 2018

by Mathew Lynn

Magazine article by Gael Newton, 2003

Commissioned with funds provided by Tim Fairfax AC 2018

Arianne McNaught

Finalist interviews

I think the most important thing in capturing candid shots is to never take the photo when people are expecting you to press the shutter. The more poignant moments are not the stock standard images of people looking at the camera smiling but after or before when they are really interacting with each other.

Yu Hong

Featured Artists

Born 1966 in Beijing, China. Lives and works in Beijing.

Vintage Max

Gael Newton delves into the life and art of renowned Australian photographer, Max Dupain.

Margaret Seares, 2018

by Cherry Hood

Magazine article by Tony Curran, 2015

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

As long as you're here, 2013 by Tony Curran

Touchy touchy

Tony Curran ponders whether our phones can change the course of painting.

Andrew Gaze, 2018

by George Fetting

Magazine article by Paul Moorhouse, 2007

Commissioned with funds provided by Trent Birkett 2018

"Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?", 1956

Pop goes the preconception

A National Portrait Gallery, London exhibition redefines portraiture, shifting the focus towards a new perspective on Pop Art.

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 1950s to the present day

Mo and beard timeline

Certain European leaders (needless to name) had the effect of making certain styles of facial hair decidedly undesirable in the years immediately after World War 2.

Janet Dawson

When soulmates Janet Dawson and Michael Boddy moved from Sydney to a property, Boddy was clear about why: ‘Our marriage is one long conversation - we moved to the bush so we could talk to each other without so many interruptions.’

Speed demon

Magazine article by David Friend, 2009

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

Mick Jagger, Madonna and Tony Curtis, 1997

The Vanity model

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.

On the road again

Magazine article by Dr Deborah Hill, 2017

Deborah Hill talks figures with character, as the National Portrait Gallery touring exhibitions program welcomes its millionth visitor.

Arcadia: Sound of the sea

Exhibition introduction

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.

Announcing.... In their own words

24 November 2020

Inspiring Australians tell their own stories in a unique new gallery audio tour, developed in collaboration with the National Library of Australia.

William Shakespeare, c. 1600-1610 associated with John Taylor

Selected images

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2006

Take a peek at a selection of the portraits you can see in the exhibition.

Cultural kaleidoscope

The complex connections between four creative Australians; Patrick White, Sidney Nolan, Robert Helpmann and Peter Sculthorpe.

NPPP 2009 exhibition essay

Dr Christopher Chapman, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2009 Prize.

Anthony Anderton

An interview with the photographer.

The National Portrait Prizes

29 January 2020

Magazine article by Patrick McCaughey, 2015

The National Portrait Gallery today announced finalists for the inaugural Darling Portrait Prize, a national new $75,000 prize for Australian portrait painting, and released selected images from the final prize pool for the popular National Photography Portrait Prize.

Self Portrait in red shirt, 1937 by Arthur Boyd

Arthur as Alyosha?

Patrick McCaughey explores a striking Boyd self portrait.

Bon Scott & Angus Young, Atlanta, Georgia

No shirt, no service

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2010

Bon Scott and Angus Young photographed by Rennie Ellis are part of a display celebrating summer and images of the shirtless male.

2022 Annual Appeal

Magazine article by Christine Clark, 2005

In 2022 the Annual Appeal was focussed on Mayatjara by Robert Fielding, a series of 24 photographs of Elders of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara community.

Glossy too

The Glossy 2 exhibition highlights the integral role magazine photography plays in illustrating and shaping our contemporary culture.

Painter John Brack with Professor Alex Mitchell and Sir Garfield Barwick, c. 1977

Jozef Vissel

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2019

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Jozef Vissel 2015

Study for Aunty Mary King, 2010 by Mathew Lynn

The animating signature

Joanna Gilmore delights in the affecting drawings of Mathew Lynn.

Trevor Jamieson, 2016 by Brett Canet-Gibson

The more things change...

NPPP 2017 exhibition essay

Magazine article by Sandy Nairne, 2006

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

Why do painted portraits still matter?

Lecture by Sandy Nairne, Director, National Portrait Gallery, London, given at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra on 28 April 2006.

Anne-Louise Lambert as Miranda Courtesy Picnic Productions

Rock star

Magazine article by Jennifer Coombes, 2018

Jennifer Coombes explores the lush images of Picnic at Hanging Rock, featuring Anne-Louise Lambert’s Miranda, the face of the film.

Listomania

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2013

Sarah Engledow describes the fall-out once Brett Whiteley stuck Patrick White’s list of his loves and hates onto his great portrait of the writer.

The art of Inner Worlds

Lecture, 7 May 2011

Magazine article by Inga Walton, 2021

Dr Christopher Chapman NPG Curator of Inner Worlds explains the development of an exhibition that spans from Surrealism to contemporary art.

Self-portrait in white jacket , 1901-02 Hugh Ramsay

Wunderkind lost

Inga Walton on the brief but brilliant life of Hugh Ramsay.

Take thy face hence

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2022

Joanna Gilmour travels through time to explore the National Portrait Gallery London’s masterpieces in Shakespeare to Winehouse.

Past, present, future, 2002 by Wang Qingsong
M+ Sigg Collection

Chinese Art

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2016

A short overview of modern Chinese art from 1949 to the present.

Director John Duigan and actor Judy Davis on the set of ‘Winter of our Dreams’, Sydney, 1981 by Robert McFarlane

Natural born stiller

Penelope Grist speaks to Robert McFarlane about shooting for the stars.

The considered life

Magazine article by Andrew Sayers AM, 2010

Andrew Sayers asks whether a portrait can truly be the examination of a life.

Coming into being

NPPP 2018 exhibition essay

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2019

Dr Christopher Chapman, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2018 Prize.

Helen Blaxland judging flower arrangements, c. 1940s photographer unknown

Petal to the mettle

Sarah Engledow lauds the very civil service of Dame Helen Blaxland.

20 20

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2017

Sarah Engledow picks some favourites from a decade of the National Photographic Portrait Prize.

Subtle emotion

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2010

Christopher Chapman considers photographer Rozalind Drummond's portrait of author Nam Le.

Giving and getting

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2006

The exhibition Portraits for Posterity celebrates gifts to the Gallery, of purchases made with donated funds, and testifies to the generosity and community spirit of Australians.

Revd Dr Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch, c.1795 by Sir Henry Raeburn

Great Scots

Magazine article by Diana O'Neil, 2017

Diana O’Neil samples the tartan treats on offer in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Layla 2020 Veronica Watson, pencil on paper. Layla 2020 Sarah McEwan, fabric, acrylic on MDF. Self portrait 2020 Layla Bacayo, drypoint on paper. Image: Sarah McEwan

Mash-up

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2022

Penelope Grist delves into an insightful portraiture exhibition that asks: How do three artists see the same sitter?

Poets' Portraits

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2005

The Portrait Gallery's paintings of two poets, Les Murray and Peter Porter, demonstrate two very different artists' responses to the challenge of representing more than usually sensitive and imaginative men.

Untitled #21/09 (after Ricci, 1700; featuring Matthew Mitcham)

Getting bare

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2015

How seven portraits within Bare reveal in a public portrait parts of the body and elements of life usually located in the private sphere.

Support Crew

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2011

Portraits of philanthropists in the collection honour their contributions to Australia and acknowledge their support of the National Portrait Gallery.

Arianne McNaught

Magazine article by Jane Raffan, 2013

An interview with the photographer.

‘Untitled’ - Yellow Kangaroo Paw, 2008 by Christian Thompson

The 'I' in Indigenous art

Jane Raffan examines unique styles of Indigenous portraiture that challenge traditional Western concepts of the artform.

The transparent mask

Magazine article by Karen Vickery, 2015

Cate Blanchett and the art of acting in Rosetzky’s digital portrait.

International issue

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2009

Michael Desmond looks at the history of the Vanity Fair magazine in conjunction with the exhibition Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008

The story of us

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2022

Gallery directors Karen Quinlan and Tony Ellwood talk to Penelope Grist about the NPG and NGV collaborative exhibition, Who Are You: Australian Portraiture.

Kristin Headlam

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2005

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.

Eileen Dunne in The Hospital for Sick Children, 1940

The incomparable Beaton

To accompany the exhibition Cecil Beaton: Portraits, held at the NPG in 2005, this article is drawn from Hugo Vickers's authorised biography, Cecil Beaton (1985).

Louis XVI giving final instructions to the Comte de La Perouse, c. 1785

Sea legged frogs

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2011

Joanna Gilmour describes some of the stories of the individuals and incidents that define French exploration of Australia and the Pacific.

Talking heads

Magazine article by Helen Ennis, 2007

In their own words lead researcher Louise Maher on the novel project that lets the Gallery’s portraits speak for themselves.

Reveries

The exhibition Reveries: Photography and mortality is a powerful display which brings together images that depict the last phase of people's lives.

The boy, the bed and the gun

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2016

Christopher Chapman contemplates the provocative performance art of Chris Burden.

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.

Progressive pictures

Magazine article by Aimee Board, 2017

Athol Shmith’s photographs contributed to the emergence of a new vision of Australian womanhood.

Be bold

Magazine article by Katherine Russell, 2007

The name of Florence Broadhurst, one of Australia’s most significant wallpaper and textile designers, is now firmly cemented in the canon of Australian art and design.

Vincent Brady leading anti Bicentenary Protest, Brisbane, 1987 Michael Aird

Activating the space

Magazine article by Sandra Phillips, 2020

Sandra Phillips on portraits of Indigenous activism from Cairns Art Gallery’s 2019 Queen’s Land Blak Portraiture exhibition.

History

About us

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

Seduce, Amuse, Entertain

NPPP 2007 exhibition essay

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2007

Michael Desmond, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2007 Prize.

Seduce Amuse Entertain

Michael Desmond profiles a handful of the entrants in first National Photographic Portrait Prize and notes emerging themes and categories.

The more things change

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2011

National Photographic Portrait Prize curator, Sarah Engledow, finds reward in a difficult task and ultimately uncovers the essence of portraiture.

A sketch for some portraits

Magazine article by Judith Pugh, 2005

Judith Pugh reflects on Clifton Pugh's approach to portrait making.

Staffordshire bull terrier belonging to the Rev. John Gower, 1851

Essential portraiture

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2011

Michael Desmond in conversation with University of Houston professor of philosophy Cynthia Freeland.

Mural of Italian/Roman actress Anna Magnani (1908–1973) with face mask, April 2020 Unknown artist

Of plague and portraits

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2009

Corinna Cullen on the symbolic power of pandemic-related imagery over the ages.

Donated duo

Dr Sarah Engledow writes about the gift of two striking paintings by the Australian artist Ken Done AM.

Recollections of a sinologist sitter

Magazine article by Professor Stephen FitzGerald AO, 2016

Professor Stephen Fitzgerald, Australia’s first Ambassador to China, traces the historical course from sino-australian cultural engagement to a maturing Australian identity.

The play’s the thing

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2006

Penelope Grist charts an immersive path through Stuart Spence’s photography.

Aussies all

The exhibition Aussies all features the ecclectic portrait photography of Rennie Ellis which captures Australian life during the 70s and 80s.

Karl Robert, Count Nesselrode, 1818 by Sir Thomas Lawrence

The Lawrence lustre

Magazine article by Angus Trumble, 2019

Angus Trumble salutes the glorious portraiture of Sir Thomas Lawrence.

In the galleries

Magazine article by Dr Anne Sanders, 2013

Christopher Chapman highlights the inaugural hang of the new National Portrait Gallery building which opened in December 2008.

Pop poet

Dr Anne Sanders previews the works in the new focus exhibition Paul Kelly and The Portraits.

Picture this...

Magazine article by Andrew Sayers AM, 2003

This edited version of a speech by Andrew Sayers examines some of the antecedents of the National Portrait Gallery and set out the ideas behind the modern Gallery and its collection.

Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnial, Marquis de Vaudreuil, ca.1753-55

Canadian identities

Magazine article by Lilly Koltun, 2004

An exploration of national identity in the Canadian context drawn from the symposium Face to Face at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in 2004.

Rethinking foundational histories

Magazine article by Kate Fullagar, 2019

A focus on Indigenous-European relationships underpins Facing New Worlds. By Kate Fullagar.

Thinking about architecture and portraiture

Dr Christopher Chapman describes the experimental exhibition Portraits + Architecture

Some prime ministers

Magazine article by Jenny Gall, 2017

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

Their brilliant careers

Jenny Gall delves into Starstruck to celebrate some of Australian cinema’s iconic women.

One hundred days at 7pm 2015 by Fiona McMonagle

Self-effacing

Magazine article by Michael Wardell, 2016

Michael Wardell samples the fare in the University of Queensland National Self-portrait Prize.

Of ice and men

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2009

Frank Hurley's celebrated images document the heroism and minutiae of Australian exploration in Antarctica.

Eating the seasons

Magazine article by Dr Anne Sanders, 2019

Anne Sanders imbibes Tony Bilson’s gastronomic revolution.

Albert Jonas and John Xiniwe of The African Choir, 1891 London Stereoscopic Co.

Back in black

Magazine article by Krysia Kitch, 2017

Krysia Kitch reviews black chronicles at the National Portrait Gallery, London.

The mind's eye

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2017

Christopher Chapman takes a trip through the doors of perception, arriving at the junction of surrealism and psychoanalysis.

Splendid, many-splendoured

Magazine article by Sandra Bruce, 2021

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

Darren McDonald

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.

Rick Amor: 21 Portraits

Magazine article by Sharon Peoples, 2017

Sarah Engledow chronicles Rick Amor's work and accomplishments in this extensive essay in conjunction with the exhibition Rick Amor: 21 Portraits.

Unbuttoning uniforms

Sharon Peoples contemplates costumes and the construction of identity.

Lyndall Hobbs and Marilyn at the Come as your favourite blonde party, Blitz Club, London, 1979 Robert Rosen

Shiny, happy people

Magazine article by Glynis Jones, 2022

Glynis Jones on the Powerhouse’s retrospective of one of Australia’s foremost fashion reportage and social photographers.

Robyn Sweaney

NPPP 2014 exhibition essay

Robyn's parents had two terriers, Wuff and Snuff. In spite of Snuff’s ominous name and a couple of close shaves – once, he jumped out of a moving car, and another time, on a long road trip, he was accidentally left behind at a petrol station – he outlived Wuff.

The Art Lovers - Megan, 2013 by Gary Grealy

Everybody, look serious

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2005

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

Friends and Acquaintances

Dr. Sarah Engledow discusses a collection of drawings and prints by the Victorian artist Rick Amor acquired in 2005.

Home truths

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2013

Despite once expressing a limited interest in the self portrait, the idea of it has figured strongly in much of Tracey Moffatt's work and has done so in some of her most distinctive and compelling images.

First-Class Marksman, 1946 by Sidney Nolan

Money for Myth

Magazine article by Jane Raffan, 2015

Australian character on the market by Jane Raffan.

Sydney city (Patrick White and Tom Uren, Hiroshima Day demonstration), 1984

The activist A-list

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2007

Dr Sarah Engledow examines a number of figures in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery who were pioneers or substantial supporters of the seminal Australian environmental campaigns of the early 1970s and 1980s.

Faces of war

Lecture, 14 May 2011

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2013

Lesley Harding, Curator, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne explores Albert Tucker’s experience of World War II, his interests in the intersection between psychology and creativity, and their influence on his portrait making.

Out of the shadows

Joanna Gilmour profiles the life and times of the shutter sisters May and Mina Moore.

What price self?

Magazine article by Jane Raffan, 2013

Jane Raffan investigates auction sales of self portraits nationally and internationally.

Starry knight

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2010

Aircraft designer, pilot and entrepreneur, Sir Lawrence Wackett rejoins friends and colleagues on the walls of the National Portrait Gallery.

Uncommon Australians

The vision of Gordon and Marilyn Darling

Magazine article by Alexandra Roginski, 2019

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

Madame Sibly, Phrenologist and Mesmerist

Sibly irresistible

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

Flash mob

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2019

Sarah Engledow trains her exacting lens on the nine photographs from 20/20.

Through blue eyes

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2009

Works by Arthur Boyd and Sidney Nolan bring the desert, the misty seashore and the hot Monaro plains to exhibition Open Air: Portraits in the landscape.

Inner Worlds and psychoanalysis

Lecture, 4 June 2011

Inner Worlds evokes a broad view of psychology as a discipline. However, the specific interests of the practitioners whose portraits are included in the exhibition incorporate specialist areas including psychoanalysis.

Nicholas Harding

Magazine article by Richard Ormond, 2015

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.

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, 1885-86 by
John Singer Sargent

A feast of friends

John Singer Sargent: a painter at the vanguard of contemporary movements in music, literature and theatre.

Through thick and thin

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2017

Sarah Engledow likes the manifold mediums of Nicholas Harding’s portraiture.

Painting writing

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2007

Dr Sarah Engledow explores the portraits of writers held in the National Portrait Gallery's collection.

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.

Nicholas Harding: 28 Portraits

Exhibition essay

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

Less than six degrees of separation

Lecture, 28 May 2011