Search / gary young

Daddy Cool, Melbourne, 1974

Purchased 2005

Nat Young

Albert Falzon's photograph of Australian surfer Nat Young captures what it is to be a surfing hero.

Ah Young, 2017

Purchased 2019

Bill Henson

Recorded 2021

Nat Young, c. 1968

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of John Witzig 2006

Pro Hart & Associates, 2004

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2004

Nat in Hawaii, 1967

Gift of the artist 2008

Simone Young, 2002

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

Angus Young, 2003 (printed 2014)

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

Sir John Young, c. 1862

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2015

Angus Young, AC/DC, LA, 1978

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2006

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

Purchased 2010

Yaritji Tjingila Young, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Arcadia

An exhibition of photographs by John Witzig, drawings by Nicholas Harding and film footage by Albe Falzon, expressive of the free-spirited, hot-blooded energy of Australian surfers under the cloud of conscription to Vietnam.

Conduct becoming

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

No shirt, no service

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

The Australian exploring expedition travelling through scrub (from the Illustrated London News 1879), 1876

Purchased 2010

Lord Viscount Sydney, c. 1790

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Bob Hawke, 1987 (printed 2018)

Purchased 2018

Yahoo Serious, 1989 (printed 2018)

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams in memory of Peta Brownbrooke-Benjamins 2018

Tim Johnson, 1994 (printed 2018)

Purchased 2018

Tas Bull, 1986 (printed 2018)

Purchased 2018

Observation point

Photographer Gary Grealy discusses his passion for portraiture.

Sir George Young Kt, Admiral of the White Squadron, 1814

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Ted and Gina Gregg 2012

Creature from the Black Platoon starring Gary Foley 2011, 2011

Purchased 2011

Tommy Smith, 1986 (printed 2018)

Purchased 2018

Harold Thornton, 1977 (printed 2018)

Purchased 2018

Trent Nathan and Shane Barr, 1995 (printed 2018)

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2018

Bruce Tyrrell, 1986 (printed 2018)

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2018

Dr John Yu, 2014

Purchased with funds provided by Dr Gene Sherman AM and Patrick Corrigan AM 2016

Stevie Wright, 1975 (printed 2011)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Lan Wang, 2011

Purchased with funds provided by Dr Gene Sherman AM 2016

Steve Kilbey, 1981 (printed 2018)

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2018

Anders Ousback, 1986 (printed 2018)

Purchased 2018

Glenn A Baker, 1989 (printed 2018)

Purchased 2018

George Andronicus, 1985 (printed 2018)

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2018

Laurie Carmichael, 1981 (printed 2018)

Purchased 2018

Dick Düsseldorp, 1991 (printed 2018)

Purchased 2018

Dave Tice, 1978 (printed 2018)

Purchased 2018

David Clarke, 1995 (printed 2018)

Purchased 2018

Gary Ella, c. 2000

Gift of the artist 2004

Gary Catalano, 1994

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

Gary Catalano, 1994

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

Gary Foley, Invasion Day - We Have Survived, 1988

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

Gary Catalano 2, 1980, 1980 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Gene Sherman, 2009

Purchased with funds provided by Patrick Corrigan AM 2016

Adam Cullen, 2000

Purchased with funds provided by Dr Gene Sherman AM and Patrick Corrigan AM 2016

Patrick Corrigan, 2015

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist and Anne Grealy 2016

Jiawei Shen, 2011

Purchased with funds provided by Dr Gene Sherman AM 2016

Ken Catchpole, 2014

Commissioned with funds from the Patrick Corrigan Portrait Commission Series 2014

Edmund Capon, 2011

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

Sir Tristan Antico, 1993 (printed 2018)

Purchased 2018

Olivia Newton-John, 1978 (printed 2017)

Purchased 2017

Richard Morecroft & Alison Mackay, 2016

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2018

Geoffrey Legge and Frank Watters, 2008

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2010

The Saints, 1978 (printed 2018)

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2018

Brian and Gene Sherman, 2009

Purchased with funds provided by Patrick Corrigan AM 2016

Franco and Amina Belgiorno-Nettis, 1991 (printed 2011)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Gary Grealy

Gary Grealy on his portrait photography.

Gary Grealy wins National Photographic Portrait Prize 2017

After months of anticipation, the winner for the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2017 has been announced with renowned Sydney portrait photographer Gary Grealy taking out the award. George Fetting, guest judge for the 2017 Prize, was entranced with the evocative nature of the winning portrait Richard Morecroft and Alison Mackay.

Young Mo (Roy Rene), 1977

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

Portrait of the artist as a young man

Dr Sarah Engledow explores the early life and career of John Brack.

Young Mo (Roy Rene)

An interview with Australian artist and collector of quirky artefacts, Martin Sharp.

Portrait of a young man, held to be John Robertson, c. 1852

Gift of Malcolm Robertson in memory of William Thomas Robertson 2018. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Nouvelle-Hollane: N.lle Galles de Sud. Ourou-Maraé, dit bull-dog par leas Anglais, Jeune guerrier de la Tribu des Gwea-Gal. (New Holland: New South Wales. Ouron Marae, called Bull Dog by the English. a young Warrior of the Gwea Gal tribe) [From 'Voyage de decouvertes aux terres australies' by Captain Nicolas Baudin, 1800-04], c. 1800

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2013

Marcia Ella, 2006

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2006

Rugby great unveiled

A new portrait commission of Australian Rugby great, Ken Catchpole OAM by Gary Grealy will be officially unveiled on 3 December.

American dream leads to tragic end

Young love lost, treasured

Headspace 2

A dynamic young people's art exhibition, Hearts/Heads: Headspace II explored portraiture, produced by students from year 7 to year 12

Proof

Portraits from The Movement is the first comprehensive survey of photographs from the Juno Gemes archive, which has supported the Aboriginal struggle for justice in Australia from 1978 to the present day.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2017

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.

Larry Clark

Larry Clark's black-and-white documentary images of young outsiders reveal raw feelings. 

Treading Water, 2017

Finalist, DPA 2017
Single channel digital video

Ngalim-Ngalimbooroo Ngagenybe

Using ochres collected on her country in Western Australia’s East Kimberley, Shirley Purdie’s self-portrait is a kaleidoscope of traditional Gija stories and Ngarranggarni (Dreaming) passed down to her.

Bill Henson

Photographer Bill Henson describes creating his three part portrait of Simone Young.

Lleyton Hewitt, 1998

Gift of the artist 2004

The Murdoch

Sport was a potent means by which, in the lead up to Federation, Australians began to assert a sense of themselves as youthful, manly and athletic – the products of an equally young and virile new nation.

Portrait 58

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

Backstage on the way to the top

Living for the moment

Rolf de Heer, Adelaide, SA, 2004

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005

Cecil Beaton

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.

Linda and Binni, 1984 (printed 2013)

Purchased 2013

The Hinders: doyens of Australian modernism

Progressive partnership

Sir William Charles Windeyer, 1892

Gift of the family of Sir Victor and Lady Windeyer 2009. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Artist lovers re-united across the seas

Exile burnishes love’s bond

To coin a (farewell) phrase

A penny for their thoughts

Mark Ella, 2015

Commissioned with funds from the Patrick Corrigan Portrait Commission Series 2015

Capital Cool

Outsiders tend to give Canberra a bad rap: sterile, plagued by politicians, a comatose capital for professionals and academics. Nick Cave once said he didn’t like the city because there were too many punks.

Ngayulu Minyma Tjanpinya, I am a Tjanpi Woman, 2018

Purchased 2022

Australia's Creative Diaspora

Paris based Australian photographer and filmmaker Nathalie Latham has an ongoing interest in the creative achievements of other Australian artists living in various locations around the globe.

Tribute

Stevie Wright (1947-2015), singer-songwriter, came to Australia from England at the age of nine.

Shirley Purdie

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

Shahleena Musk, c. 2000

Gift of the artist 2004

Oz Rock

Two of the music industry’s highest-selling performers originated in suburban Australia. The Bee Gees started out in Brisbane, for instance, and AC/DC played their first gigs at a nightclub in inner Sydney.

National Youth Self Portrait Prize

At the end of 2007 the National Portrait Gallery launched the inaugural National Youth Self Portrait Prize and artists aged between eighteen and twenty-five were invited to submit self portraits using a variety of media including drawing, painting, printmaking and traditional or digital photography.

Masters of modern Indonesian portraiture

Masters of modern Indonesian portraiture presents key modernist paintings and drawings along with a selection of contemporary works.

NPPP 2009 exhibition essay

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

National Youth Self Portrait Prize

An annual event, the National Youth Self Portrait Prize seeks to encourage young people to embrace self portraiture and its expressive possibilities.

John Mitchel with John Martin and Father John Kenyon [the three Johns], 1866

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2016

Angry Anderson, 2006

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2010

Considering Persephone - Gay Bilson, 2009

Purchased with funds provided by Jan and Gary Whyte, Brian and Barbara Crisp, Gloria Kurtze, Jonathon Mills and Lawsoft Pty Ltd 2011

Self portrait, c. 1948

Purchased with funds provided by Tim Fairfax AC 2010

Pub Rock

Celebrate the people, places and sounds of Australian pub rock and its enduring impact on our nation’s identity.

2022 Annual Appeal

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.

Rhoda Roberts, c. 2000

Gift of the artist 2004

Headspace 6

The sixth in the National Portrait Gallery’s series of student exhibitions, will feature 200 portrait artworks, both two and three-dimensional, from secondary school students from across Australia

Between Light and Shadow

The late Australian photographer Stuart Campbell produced superb photographs of Australian actors of stage and screen.

Mysterious eyes

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

Now Listen...

Artist Tessa Jones recalls creating her portrait of Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock singer and music producer, Ross Wilson.

Blek Bala MJ, 2017

Finalist, DPA 2017
Single channel HD digital video

All that fall

Focussing on the wide-ranging theme of loss and absence, this exhibition provides a moving ‘portrait’ of loss during the First World War on the Australian home front. Powerful symbolic images, including contemporary works, evoke the emotional intensity of loss. All that fall: Sacrifice, life and loss in the First World War is the National Portrait Gallery’s contribution to the Anzac Centenary.

Annual Appeal

Arthur Boyd’s Mysterious Eyes

The National Portrait Gallery has unveiled a focus exhibition of captivating portraits by renowned artist Arthur Boyd, titled Mysterious eyes: Arthur Boyd portraits from 1945.

Charmed by the Rose

Anthony Browell reminisces about meeting Rose Lindsay, the wife of Australian artist Norman Lindsay.

Clara Crosbie, c. 1885

Gift of John McPhee 2018

Alex Frayne

An interview with the photographer.

Interview

Rineke Dijkstra's photographic series of her subject, Almerisa Sehric, evolved over the course of 14 years. 

Story time

Listen to a lively reading of Do you want to meet your grandma? by author SV Middleby, followed by some creative craft activities.

Supporters

Headspace 7

Headspace 7: Me and My Place, the seventh in the National Portrait Gallery's series of student exhibitions, will be presented at Commonwealth Place. Me and My Place is the curatorial theme for the 2006 exhibition.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 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.

The Archduke

The immediate chain of events that led to the outbreak of the First World War began 100 years ago on June 28.

To Look Away – Tilda, 2015

Finalist, DPA 2016

Jaq Grantford

A self-portrait from a different time, feels like a different time, even though it's only a couple of years ago or one and a half years, if that, and it was my commentary on COVID and how I was feeling about it at the time.

Cat Leedon

This was taken as part of a series, documenting my, I call it my shit show roller coaster.

The sensational denouement of the case

The 'Yarra Boot Trunk Tragedy' unfolded a week before Christmas 1898, when some neighbourhood boys noticed a wooden box floating in the river at Richmond. 

Donald Friend, 1987

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

Emerging realities

Oz Origins

Australia’s passion for rock ‘n roll was kindled by American and British acts in the 1950s and 60s. The novel genre’s driving, licentious rhythms and voices captured imaginations and libidos, not to mention aspiring young musicians.

Donald Friend at Owl Creek, 1983

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

Wayne Quilliam

The important part about it is is where it was captured. That's the Laura Quinkan Dance Festival, where our remote communities gather every two years to celebrate culture, to share knowledge, and to share stories.

Contemporary Australian Portraits

Contemporary Australian Portraits is a cross section, a sampling, of some of the present-day directions in Australian portrait practice

Woburn Sheepshearing, 1811

Purchased 2018

Two painters

Chris Chapman explains how Matthys Gerber bridges the gap between abstraction and portraiture.

,

Portrait of Paddy Japaljarrii Stewart, 2004

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2004

Story time

Listen online to a lively reading of Do you want to meet your grandma? by author SV Middleby, then create your own visual response with materials found around the house.

John Landy, c. 1954

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2004

Tough & Tender

Art by Warwick Baker, Chris Burden, Larry Clark, Rozalind Drummond, Nan Goldin, Robert Mapplethorpe and Collier Schorr explores personal relations, individual expression and fluid identity.

Elizabeth Chong, 2000

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

The World of Thea Proctor

The World of Thea Proctor is the Portrait Gallery's second major biographical exhibition - that is, the second exhibition to focus exclusively on the life and work of a single individual

Collier Schorr

This is the first time Collier Schorr's photographs, which explore gender and identity, have been shown in Australia.

POL

POL was a magazine that ran from 1969 to 1986

City boys

Christopher Chapman immerses himself in Larry Clark’s field of vision.

Thousand Mile Stare

Thousand mile stare provides a unique portrait of people of rural Australia

The Athlete

Slow Motion @ 300kms per hour Mark 'Sparky'™ Webber, Formula 1 Driver, 2016

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2019

Seduce, Amuse, Entertain

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.

Golden boy

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

Boxer, Blake Travers, 2017

Finalist, DPA 2017
Single channel HD digital video

Reg Lindsay, Scone, NSW, 2004

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005

Younger Australians more engaged with arts and history

The second annual brand-awareness snapshot of the National Portrait Gallery is again positive, with indicators moving in the right direction – for the Gallery and for Australia’s cultural engagement.

Arcadia media information

Press releases and image downloads for media.

Presence and Absence

This exhibition focuses on exploring national and communal identity through sculptural production in Australia, from the early decades of settlement through to the present day

Sharon Atkinson-Firebrace, c. 2000

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2004

Flash

Introduction The National Portrait Gallery’s photographic exhibition Flash: Australian Athletes in Focus explores various interpretations of Australian sporting men and women.

Kylie Kwong, 2003

Purchased 2005

Barbara Robison, 1935

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

Samantha Nimunburr Wyborn, c. 2000

Gift of the artist 2004

Learning programs

Unique experiences and programs for enquiring young minds, teachers and lifelong learners.

‘Never break this heart of stone’

Desired by millions

Study of male ballet dancers standing in a line, 2007

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of J Sages Family Trust 2009
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Lloyd Rees, c. 1988

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

Here and there

Nathalie Latham's exhibition Australia's Creative Diaspora explores Australians, in the arts, who live and work internationally.

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.

The artist and the doctor

Art, war, scandal

Les Darcy, Australian Middleweight Boxer, c. 1910

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2008

The most material advantages

A one-in-a-thousand woman

Sir Cecil Colville, c. 1965

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Richard Due 2010

doppelgänger

doppelgänger is the second in a series of virtual exhibitions held by the National Portrait Gallery that explore contemporary notions of portraiture in the online environment.

Headspace 4

Facing Memory: Headspace 4 provides us with valuable insights into the thoughts, creative processes and art-making practices of secondary students from Year 7 to Year 12 from sixty-two schools in the Australian Capital Territory, regional New South Wales and Victoria

Lloyd Rees at 90, Northwood, Sydney, 1985 (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

Australian visit in Denmark

In April 2006 the National Portrait Gallery showcased Australian portraits at the Fredenksborg Castle in Denmark. 

Lloyd Rees, 1987

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

Werner Baer, 1947

Gift of Richard King 2008. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Study of a pair of ballet dancers, 2007

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of J Sages Family Trust 2009
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Study of female ballet dancers, 2007

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of J Sages Family Trust 2009
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Lt. A.R.Cutler VC, 1943

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Cutler family 2017
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Entry guidelines 2023

Read the full requirements for entering the prize.

The Merioola Group, 1940s

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

Famous

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

Kyle Vander-Kuyp, 1998

Purchased 2001

So Fine

This exhibition features new works from ten women artists reinterpreting and reimagining elements of Australian history, enriching the contemporary narrative around Australia’s history and biography, reflecting the tradition of storytelling in our country.

Amrita Hepi

Bundjulung/Ngapuhi woman Amrita Hepi’s work considers the body’s relationship to personal histories and archive, and investigates dance as social function.

Daryl Braithwaite, 1975 (printed 2001)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Garth Porter, 1975 (printed 2001)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Tony Mitchell, 1975 (printed 2001)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Alan Sandow, 1975 (printed 2001)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Clive Shakespeare, 1975 (printed 2001)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

The actor, the artist, her life and her fantasies

Feeling sexy

Nicholas Harding

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.

Ada Bird Petyarre, 1990

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

Kristina, 1984 (printed 2013)

Purchased 2013

Who is Lillie Roberts?

Talented wife for a talented husband

Rt. Honourable Lord Hawkesbury, 1808

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Ted and Gina Gregg 2012

Jenny Sages

The exhibition Sages examines the process of portrait making through four large-scale portraits of women by Jenny Sages, paired with intimate preparatory drawings.

National Youth Self Portrait Prize

An annual event, the National Youth Self Portrait Prize seeks to encourage young people to embrace self portraiture and its expressive possibilities.

The Legend of Ruby and Archie

A bond in song

Handing on the baton

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

Boyd to man

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

Eyes on the Prize

A short visual essay of some of the works in the National Youth Self Portrait Prize 2010.

Matthew Reilly, 2006 (printed 2009)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2009

Sherbet, 1974

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

Kristina, 1986 (printed 2013)

Purchased 2013

Cathy Freeman, 1994

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

Neil Murray, Bolac, VIC, 2004

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005

Madame Sibly, Phrenologist and Mesmerist, c. 1870

Purchased 2017

An international troupe of two

Office romance

Of Burke, Wills ... and wills

Infatuation and (ill-fated) exploration

1 to 6

The National Portrait Gallery's annual survey of student self portraiture highlights the processes of personal inquiry through portraiture by students from all levels across Australia.

John Firth-Smith, 1974

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

Brett Whiteley, 1974

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

Lloyd Rees full face, 1979

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

Lloyd Rees from behind, 1979

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

Paul Kelly and The Portraits

Aspects of singer songwriter Paul Kelly’s performance persona are communicated by portraits selected from a range of artists and leading music photographers in this focus exhibition.

2020 Annual Appeal

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

Angelica Mesiti

Internationally renowned, Paris-based artist Angelica Mesiti creates video installations that are absorbing and profound experiences for audiences.

Society of Artists Selection Committee, 1907

Purchased 2008

Partners

We are grateful to our supporters who help us care for, exhibit and study the Gallery's Collection and to offer programs that bring our portraits to life.

Jarinyanu David Downs, 1986

Purchased 2005

Rennie Ellis

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

George Rose, 1811

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Sir Joseph Banks, c. 1788

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Paddy Bedford, 2003

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2013. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Rayner Hoff, 1924

Gift of Richard King 2008. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Hattie Shepparde, 1872

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

Smalltown Boy (Perth), 2018

Purchased 2021

All that fall artist interviews

Lawrence English, Ellis Hutch and Lee Grant talk about the works they created for All that fall.

Malcolm Fraser, Randwick Racecourse, 1975 (printed 2002)

Purchased 2012

Headspace 1

Headspace showcases portrait art produced by secondary students from Year 7 to Year 12 in Government, Catholic and Independent schools in Canberra and its surrounding regions extending to Wollongong, Deniliquin, Leeton, Crookwell, Bombala, Narooma and Albury

Dr John Yu, 2004

Commissioned with funds provided by Marilyn Darling AC 2004

Lee Lin Chin, 2005

Gift of the artist 2006

Sir Bernard Heinze AC, 1985

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

Icons

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.

Marilyn Rowe, 1981

Gift of the family of Graham Thorley in his memory and in tribute to Marilyn Rowe 2010

Tan Le, 2018

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

White Whiteley

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

Start Your Engines...

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

Murray Bail, c. 1980 (printed 2018)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2018

Noel Fraser Hickey, 1957

Gift of the artist 2021

Cathy Freeman, 2000

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

Cathryn Fitzpatrick, 2006

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2006

Colleen McCullough, 1992-1993 (printed 2005)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Big it up

Former National Portrait Gallery Curator Magda Keaney was a member of the selection panel of the Schwepes Photographic Portrait Prize 2004 at the National Portrait Gallery London.

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

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2006

Theresa Byrnes, 1999

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

Uncommon Australians

In 1988 philanthropists Gordon and Marilyn Darling decided to make an Australian portrait gallery a reality, overseeing the development of the 1992 touring exhibition Uncommon Australians.

James T. Donovan, 1892

Purchased 2015

Brett Whiteley - portrait 2, 1975

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

Telphia, 1990 (printed 2013)

Purchased 2013

Dave Sands, c. 1950

Purchased 2011

Christos Tsiolkas, 1998 (printed 2009)

Purchased 2009

Christos Tsiolkas, 1998 (printed 2009)

Purchased 2009

Fiona Stanley, 2011

Commissioned 2011

Phillip Gudthaykudthay, 1986

Purchased 2005

Jacques Arago, c. 1830s

Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2009

Gladys Moncrieff, 1920s

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Sally Douglas 2009

Self portrait, 1965

Gift of the Estate of Nicolaas van der Waarden 2013

Albert and his wife Rubina, Macdonnell Ranges, 1946

Purchased 1999

Dillon Kombumerri, c. 2000

Gift of the artist 2004

Rose Byrne, 2001 (printed 2004)

Purchased 2005

Lee Lin Chin, 2004 (printed 2021)

Gift of the artist 2021

The black coat: Lily Brett, 1989

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

A photographer’s glamorous friends

Community, arts, activism

Portrait of Bennilong, a Native of New Holland, c. 1810

Purchased 2014

Elegance in exile

Elegance in exile is an exhibition surveying the work of Richard Read senior, Thomas Bock, Thomas Griffiths Wainewright and Charles Rodius: four artists who, though exiled to Australia as convicts, created many of the most significant and elegant portraits of the colonial period.

Pat Mackie, 2004

Purchased 2004

Hilary McPhee, 2015

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2015

Arianne McNaught

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.

Evonne Goolagong, 1973

Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2004

Arthur as Alyosha?

Patrick McCaughey explores a striking Boyd self portrait.

Kyle Vander-Kuyp, c. 2000

Gift of the artist 2004

Charles John Fairfax, c. 1860

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of John Fairfax Holdings Ltd 2002
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Ngalim-Ngalimbooroo Ngagenybe, 2018

Purchased 2019

Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, c. 1870

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

Noah Taylor, 1994 (printed 2010)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2010

Australians in Hollywood

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

2021 Annual Appeal

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

Collection: Icons

The second instalment of a display featuring bold contemporary portraits drawn from the collection. For the Gallery’s 20th birthday this display brings together a group contemporary photographic portraits of inspiring women and men.

Portrait of Deborah Vernon Hackett, c. 1908

Purchased with funds provided by Marilyn Darling AC 2005

Arthur Boyd Portraits

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

Lewis Morley

Lewis Morley has a great eye for a shot and a sharp ear for a pun

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

Best buds

It’s important to have a best bud when you’re growing up. For many boys the transition from boyhood through adolescence is defined by wanting to fit in. 

Kondelea (Della) Elliott, 1979

Gift of Jeannie Highet and Kim Buchan 2012

Johnny O'Keefe "A little bit louder now...", 1999

Commissioned with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 1999

A Singular Line

A newly acquired work by Stella Bowen adds to the National Portrait Gallery's growing collection of important Australian self-portraits.

Franchesca Cubillo, c. 2000

Gift of the artist 2004

Margaret Fink, 1975

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

Portrait of Bennilong, Native of New Holland, c. 1798

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2008

Ian Thorpe, 2002

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002

Full time

Alistair McGhie reminisces about three Australian rugby greats commissioned for the Portrait Gallery collection by Patrick Corrigan AM.

Jeff Carter with his dog Annie Rose at Foxground NSW, 2000 (printed 2017)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Tim Fairfax AC, 2018

Commissioned with funds provided by The Calvert-Jones Foundation 2018

Janet Holmes á Court, 2001 (printed 2011)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Ngarranggarni

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

Naomi Watts, 2003

Gift of the artist 2004

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2018

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

(Margaret Whitlam) by the strength of her skin, 1998

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

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2022

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.

Mrs Woods and ‘Ere, 2013

Purchased 2019

Quentin Bryce, 2002 (printed 2011)

Purchased 2011

Barbara McCarthy, c. 2000

Gift of the artist 2004

Ruby Hunter, 1996 (printed 2012)

Purchased 2012

Therese Desmond, 1919-1920

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Madeleine Howell 2013

LeGarde Twins, c. 1966

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2015

Jarinyanu Dancing at Broome Festival, 1990

Purchased 2017

Making Portraits

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

Allan Lowe, c. 1955

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Alan Lowe and Marian Lowe 2000

Bart Willoughby, c. 2000

Gift of the artist 2004

Thomas and John Clarke, bushrangers, photographed in Braidwood Gaol, 1867

Purchased 2019

Time is precious

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.

Storytelling

The fourth row of paintings interweave Ngarranggarni, memories, relationships and Country.

Let’s dance

Emma Batchelor uncovers the compelling contemporary dance made in response to the works in Shakespeare to Winehouse.

Dame Margaret Scott, 1949

Gift of Professor Derek Denton AC and Dame Margaret Scott AC 2014. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Margaret Fink, 1989

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

Mary Windeyer, 1850s

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

Sketches and sermons

Jessica Smith looks at the 'fetching' portrait of Tasmania's first Anglican Bishop, Francis Russell Nixon by George Richmond

Portrait of a Modernist

The National Portrait Gallery acquired the self-portrait by Grace Cossington Smith in 2003.

Portrait of Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke (Sass & Bide), 2008

Commissioned with funds provided by Marilyn Darling AC 2008

Ron Grainer, printed 2003

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Lewis Morley 2004

Mrs Woods, 2013

Gift of the artist 2019. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Charles Joseph La Trobe, 1853

Purchased 2006

An Intimate Portrait of an Australian Artist in 1930

Lauren Dalla examines the life of Australian painter Roy de Maistre and his portrait by Jean Shepeard.