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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

Gene Sherman with Family, After Tillers, After Freud, After Watteau
Gene Sherman with Family, After Tillers, After Freud, After Watteau
Gene Sherman with Family, After Tillers, After Freud, After Watteau

Gene Sherman with Family, After Tillers, After Freud, After Watteau, 1995

Jenny Sages
Portrait, oil, wax and pigment on canvas boards

Gift of Dr Gene Sherman AM in memory of Brian Sherman AM (1943-2022). Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program 2023.

Brian and Gene Sherman
Brian and Gene Sherman
Brian and Gene Sherman

Brian and Gene Sherman, 2009

Gary Grealy
Portrait, inkjet print on paper

Purchased with funds provided by Patrick Corrigan AM 2016

Gene Sherman
Gene Sherman
Gene Sherman

Gene Sherman, 2009

Gary Grealy
Portrait, inkjet print on paper

Purchased with funds provided by Patrick Corrigan AM 2016

Little family, 2019 Gene Hart-Smith

Little family, 2019

Gene Hart-Smith
Image
Emile Sherman
Emile Sherman
Emile Sherman

Emile Sherman, 2012

Dave Tacon
Portrait, type C photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Emile Sherman
Emile Sherman
Emile Sherman

Emile Sherman, 2012

Adam Chang (Hong Jun Zhang)
Portrait, oil on canvas

Gift of the artist and Yanping Zhu 2022. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

image not online

Dr Gene Sherman AM announces resignation from the National Portrait Gallery Board

16 June 2015
Archived media releases 2015

It is with deep regret, but great pride, that the National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the decision of its Deputy Chairman to resign from the Gallery’s Board, to focus on a new international role as co-Chair of the Tate Asia Pacific Acquisitions Committee.

Adam Cullen
Adam Cullen
Adam Cullen

Adam Cullen, 2000

Gary Grealy
Portrait, inkjet print

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

Dr John Yu
Dr John Yu
Dr John Yu

Dr John Yu, 2014

Gary Grealy
Portrait, inkjet print on paper

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

Self portrait
Self portrait
Self portrait

Self portrait, 1993

Tim Storrier
Portrait, synthetic polymer paint on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Gene Sherman AM and Brian Sherman AM 2012
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

David Malouf
David Malouf
David Malouf

David Malouf, 1980

Jeffrey Smart AO
Portrait, pencil on paper

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

Self portrait
Self portrait
Self portrait

Self portrait, 1949

Louis Kahan AO
Portrait, pen and ink on book page

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

Ken Catchpole

Rugby great unveiled

1 December 2014
Archived media releases 2014

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

The black coat: Lily Brett
The black coat: Lily Brett
The black coat: Lily Brett

The black coat: Lily Brett, 1989

David Rankin OAM
Portrait, oil on canvas

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

Untitled, 1995 by Fang Lijun

Go Figure!

Contemporary Chinese Portraiture
Previous exhibition, 2012

A vibrant expression of Chinese culture and reflection on contemporary portraiture, drawn from the Uli Sigg collection.

image not online

Supporters

$5,000 - $9,999
Honour board
Lan Wang
Lan Wang
Lan Wang

Lan Wang, 2011

Gary Grealy
Portrait, inkjet print on paper

Purchased with funds provided by Dr Gene Sherman AM 2016

Jiawei Shen
Jiawei Shen
Jiawei Shen

Jiawei Shen, 2011

Gary Grealy
Portrait, inkjet print on paper

Purchased with funds provided by Dr Gene Sherman AM 2016

Portrait 43

June - August 2012
Magazine

This issue features Cindy Sherman, Tim Storrier, Brett Whiteley and Patrick White, contemporary Chinese portraiture, Charles Blackman and more.

Untitled #474, 2008

Grande dames

Magazine article by Eva Respini, 2013

Eva Respini focuses on the ‘society portraits’ in MOMA’s Cindy Sherman retrospective.

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Dr Anne Sanders

Biography

Dr Anne Sanders worked as the curatorial researcher at NPG begining in 2010.

Losing Faith, 2004 by Alexandra Cody

Headspace 5

Crystal Gazing
Previous exhibition, 2004

Crystal Gazing: Headspace V, the fifth in the National Portrait Gallery's program of secondary student portrait exhibitions, invites students from Canberra and the surrounding regions to explore the possibilities of portraiture

Untitled, 1995 by Fang Lijun

Go Figure! Contemporary Chinese Portraiture

12 July 2012
Previous media releases

Exhibited simultaneously at the two locations, Go Figure! is drawn from the Sigg Collection, the largest and most significant collection of contemporary Chinese art anywhere in the world.

Greek Orthodox Priest, 2015 by Sarah Ball

Hope for kindness

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2018

Sarah Engledow arrives at the junction of fate and hope in Sarah Ball’s poignant Immigrants series.

Untitled, 1995 by Fang Lijun

Fang Lijun

Featured Artists

Born 1963, Handan, Hebei Province China. Lives and works in Beijing.

Brian Cadd
Brian Cadd
Brian Cadd

Brian Cadd, 1973

Rennie Ellis
Portrait, type C photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Professor Suzanne Cory AC FAA FRS
Professor Suzanne Cory AC FAA FRS
Professor Suzanne Cory AC FAA FRS

Professor Suzanne Cory AC FAA FRS, 2016

Raelene Sharp
Portrait, oil on linen

Gift of the artist 2017

Pimple, 2007 by Yang Na

Yang Na

Featured Artists

Born 1983, Chongqing, Sichuan Province. Lives and works in Beijing.

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

Chinese Art

General content

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

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.

Self-portrait in black jumper, 2017 Graeme Drendel

Be frank

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2020

Close encounters are the genesis for Graeme Drendel’s enticing portraiture.

East Village, Beijing no. 20 (Zhang Huan, 12 Square Metres), 1994 by Rong Rong

Rong Rong

Featured Artists

Born Li Zhirong 1968, Zhangzhou, Fujian Province. Lives and works in Beijing.

Michael Kimmelman

Magazine article by Pamela Gray, 2002

Michael Kimmelman, Chief Art Critic of The New York Times and author of Portraits: Talking with Artists at the Met, the Modern, the Louvre and Elsewhere, presented the National Portrait Gallery Third Anniversary Lecture on 2 March 2002. He was generously brought to Australia by the Gordon Darling Foundation and Qantas.

Uli Sigg

About the exhibition

General content

Portraits from the Sigg collection, from 1979 to the present including painting, sculpture, photography, video and installation.

Born 1989 in Beijing (250%), 1995–96 by Liu Wei

Liu Wei

Featured Artists

Born 1965 in Beijing. Lives and works in Beijing.

Red child, 2005 by Zhang Xiaogang

Zhang Xiaogang

Featured Artists

Born 1958, Kunming, Yunnan Province. Lives and works in Beijing.

15 minutes of frame

NPG London, Scotland and Australia, 28 January 2021
Recorded virtual programs

Delve into the lives, loves and labour of the world’s most prominent portrait galleries in this international conversation series.

She – Unemployed Girl, 2003 by Yu Hong

Yu Hong

Featured Artists

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

Marcia Langton

Powerful energy

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2010

Dr Christopher Chapman explores the symbolism in the portrait commission of Marcia Langton by Brook Andrew.

Marcia Langton

The art of multiplicity

Magazine article by Meredith Hughes, 2019

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

Portrait of Margaret Olley in her Paddington studio, 2011 by John McRae

John McRae

NPPP 2012 learning resource

An interview with the photographer.

Elizabeth

The National Portrait Prizes

29 January 2020
Archived media releases 2020

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.

Judy Davis and Sam Neill in ‘My Brilliant Career’, 1979 David Kynoch

Moving still

Magazine article by Anne O'Hehir, 2022

Anne O’Hehir on the seductive power of the film still to reflect and shape ourselves and our cultural landscape.

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Portrait Donors

Listed by year
Honour board
Penny Fowler AM, John Barrington AM, Heidi Victoria, Elizabeth Dibbs, Tom Mosby, Hayley Baillie, Hugo Michell, Elizabeth Pakchung, Valerie Tam

The Board

Governance & Board

The Board oversees the Gallery's strategic directions, objectives and governance.

Federal Statistician Knibbs

The numbers man

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2011

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

Fiona McMonagle, 2016 by Mark Mohell

Fiona McMonagle

Explore The Popular Pet Show

Fiona aims to create a dangerous situation with a flood of water on the paper, forcing each work to the point where it can fail, and then rescuing it. 

Patrick White at Centennial Park, 1979–1980

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.

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Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia

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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency