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Pair of bookends with portraits of Albert Namatjira, c. 1950

Gift of Ron Radford 2001. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Pat Mackie, 2004

Purchased 2004

Desiderius Orban (at 101 years of age), 1985

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2017

Professor Ralph Blacket, 1994

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2017

Sylvia Davis-Patricelli and Anthony Patricelli, c. 1944

Gift of Danina Dupain Anderson 2018. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

J.H. Roy Rousel, 1915

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Richard King 2008
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

JH Roy Rousel, 1915

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Richard King 2008
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

The Last of the Angry Penguins - John Perceval, 1999

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Thomas de Kessler 2001

Grant Mudford, n.d.

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

Gladys Marks, c. 1962

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

Professor Penny Sackett, astronomer and physicist, 2011

Purchased 2012

Blue Collar Icon

Dr Sarah Engledow delves into the life of union leader Pat Mackie who is depicted in a portrait by Nancy Borlase AM.

Cyril Henschke in his tasting room at Keyneton, 1968

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005

John Knatchbull, Murderer of Mrs Ellen Jamieson, 1844

Gift of Leo Schofield AM 2005. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Fleeing figure, 1988

Gift of David Archer 2016

Maurice O'Shea, 1951 (printed 2003)

Purchased 2005

Sir William Dargie

As a tribute to Sir William Dargie's singular contribution to Australian art and cultural institutions, and on the occasion of his birthday, The Australian War Memorial, Parliament House and the National Portrait Gallery will mount exhibitions of his work between May and October

Dave Graney and Clare Moore, 1996

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002

Edward John Eyre, 1867

Presented by Sir Roy Strong and the late Dr Julia Trevelyan Oman in memory of their friendship with Gordon Darling and Marilyn Darling 2006

Sir Robert Helpmann, c. 1965 (printed 2015)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Jozef Vissel 2015

Centenary of ANZAC

Just now we pause to mark the centenary of ANZAC, the day when, together with British, other imperial and allied forces, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed at Gallipoli at the start of the ill-starred Dardanelles campaign.

Sarah and Ann Jacob, c. 1866

Purchased 2018

Jon (Jon Muir), 2008

Gift of the artist 2010

John Perceval, 1999

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Thomas de Kessler 2001

Self portrait, 1846

Purchased 1999

Robert Helpmann, 1969

Purchased 1998

Michael Milton, 2012

Purchased 2012

Mary Windeyer, c. 1891

Gift of J.B. Windeyer 2018

Collette Dinnigan, 2005

Gift of the artist 2006

Betsy Napangardi Lewis, 2007

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2020. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Rosalie Gascoigne, 1993

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

George Tjungurrayi, 2002

Gift of Pamela Hansford 2007. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

George Tjungurrayi, 2007

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2020. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Peter Brock, 2000-2001

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

The Wonder Years

Sarah Hill introduces the portrait busts of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and Captain Charles Ulm by Enid Fleming.

A magnificent rivalry

Alexander (Jock) Sturrock and Alan Bond

Master Johnny Day, Australian Champion Pedestrian, c. 1866

Purchased 2014

Barry Humphries, 1958

Gift of L Gordon Darling AC CMG and Marilyn Darling AC 1998. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Reg Livermore, Pitt Street, Sydney, 1965 (printed 2020)

Purchased 2020

Bon Scott & Angus Young, Atlanta, Georgia, 1978 (printed 2010)

Purchased 2010

TW Edgeworth David and Vilhjalmur Stefansson, 1924

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Glossy 2

Following the success of Glossy: Faces, Magazines, Now in 1999 the National Portrait Gallery again highlights the huge array of contemporary portraiture in the pages of magazines.

Andrew Sayers, 2012

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Marilyn Darling AC 2013

Janet Tavener

Mikala is the eldest of my three daughters. I have photographed her on many an occasion. Needless to say we are both extremely at home with the practice.

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.

Katherine Bennett

The lady in the centre of this photograph is my partner's Granny. So we are almost directly related, and here, as with all photographic work. I am in a state of exchange though I think only directly, with one of the women!

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.

Restoring histories

Photographic conservation practices and the restoration of the Barbara Blackman photographic portrait.

Krystal Seigerman

The photograph was a brief, candid moment, which unfolded into a portrait. Peter and I were in Silverton, NSW, chatting as our students explored the town. The weak afternoon light suddenly became dramatic and defined, so I asked Peter if I could take his portrait.

Time and light

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

Masters of Fare

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.

Clifton Pugh

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.

To Look Within

This exhibition is the first comprehensive survey of self-portraits in Australia, from the colonial period to the present

Australian of the Year

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

Hot Scots

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

Uncommon Australians

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.

Queen Victoria, 1901

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2018

Sideshow Alley

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.

Somewhere to hang your cap

A pair of portraits by John Brack; Portrait of Kym Bonython and Portrait of Mr Bonython's speedway cap combine to create a quirky depiction of their subject.

Seduce and Destroy

Magda Keaney explores the symbolism in eX de Medici's portrait of Midnight Oil.

Written in Water

Olegas Truchanas and Peter Dombrovskis, photographers and conservationists, shared a love of photography and exploring wilderness areas of Tasmania.

Facing Facts

Former NPG Director, Andrew Sayers describes the 1922 Self-portrait with Gladioli by George Lambert.

Citizen Kenne

April Thompson explores an exhibition of Ingvar Kenne’s global portrait project.

Where the wild things are

Michael Desmond explores the complex portrait of Dr Bob Brown by Harold 'The Kangaroo' Thornton.

Robyn Sweaney

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.

Look who's coming to dinner

Michael Wardell’s personal insight into Jacques van der Merwe’s New Arrivals.

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).

Pushpamala N

Pushpamala N. was born in 1956 in Bangalore. Her early training was in sculpture, but as her practice progressed she brought an early enthusiasm for narrative figuration into her photographic work.

Cool cool world

Penelope Grist unpacks photographs by David Parker, who captured the phenomenal emergence of the 1970s and 80s Melbourne music scene.

Be bold

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.

Anangu landscape learning

Angus' initial perception of Uluru shifts, as he comes to see it as central to the entire order of Anangu life.

The Rothschilds, the Montefiores, and the Victorian Gold Rush

Some years ago my colleague Andrea Wolk Rager and I spent several days in the darkened basement of a Rothschild Bank, inspecting every one of the nearly 700 autochromes created immediately before World War I by the youthful Lionel de Rothschild.

Meeting by Murder

The story behind two colonial portraits; a lithograph of captain and convict John Knatchbull and newspaper illustration of Robert Lowe, Viscount Sherbrooke.

Stubbs and the horse

One of the chief aims of George Stubbs, 1724–1806, the late Judy Egerton’s great 1984–85 exhibition at the Tate Gallery was to provide an eloquent rebuttal to Josiah Wedgwood’s famous remark of 1780: “Noboby suspects Mr Stubs [sic] of painting anything but horses & lions, or dogs & tigers.”

The look and the feel

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

Less than six degrees of separation

Anne Sanders finds connections in Inner Worlds between Hungarian expatriates and the development of psychoanalysis in Australia.

Beyond the bow tie

Nathan Faiman delves into the rich life story and legacy of Alan Goldberg.

The bright-eyed Mariner

Giving a dam

Ensconced and meditative in crisp Tasmania, Joanna Gilmour pays tribute to passionate green advocate and photographer Olegas Truchanas.

The alchemist’s profile

John Zubrzycki meets Australian paint pioneer Jim Cobb.

Private virtues public lives

Family affections are preserved in a fine selection of intimate portraits.

In good company

Jean Appleton’s 1965 self portrait makes a fine addition to the National Portrait Gallery’s collection writes Joanna Gilmour.

Staying home

Joanna Gilmour brings a mindful Douglas Mawson’s perspective to bear on the concept of isolation.

Home truths

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.

Cultural kaleidoscope

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

Getting a head

Alexandra Roginski gets a feel for phrenology’s fundamentals.

Man of war

Tedi Bills talks to George Gittoes about canvassing conflict.

Presence and absence

The art of Australia’s colonial women painters affords us an invaluable, alternative perspective on the nascent nation-building project.

Regarding Henrys

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

Political profiles

Joanna Gilmour examines the prolific output of Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin, and discovers the risk of taking a portrait at face value.

Generous Janice

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

Less than six degrees of separation

Dr Anne Sanders NPG Curatorial Researcher investigated the lives of the pioneering psychologists whose portraits are featured in Inner Worlds.