Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010
Purchased 2010
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2008
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010
Reg Campbell was a self-taught painter specialising in landscapes and portraits.
1 portrait in the collection
Sir William Dobell (1899-1970), painter, was apprenticed to an architect and studied art in Sydney before leaving Australia for Europe in 1929.
9 portraits in the collection
Joshua Smith studied sculpture with Rayner Hoff and took classes in drawing and painting at Julian Ashton's Sydney Art School.
5 portraits in the collection
Fiona Lowry is a Sydney-based artist. Having held her first solo exhibition in 2002, she exhibited at Sydney’s Gallery Barry Keldoulis from 2004 to 2010; from 2010 she was also represented by Hugo Michell in Adelaide, and she is currently handled by Martin Browne Contemporary in Sydney.
1 portrait in the collection
Gift of Danina Anderson, daughter of Max Dupain 2017
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Danelle Bergstrom (b. 1957) was born in Sydney. She studied art and art education at the Julian Ashton school (1974-1979) and at Alexander Mackie CAE.
2 portraits in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Richard King 2008
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Australian artist and Archibald Prize finalist, Wendy Sharpe reflects on the art of portraiture.
Betina Fauvel-Ogden was born in Adelaide and lives in Melbourne. Completing a Diploma of Art at RMIT in 1964, Fauvel-Ogden has worked in fashion illustration, advertising and as a children's book illustrator in Australia and overseas.
1 portrait in the collection
Sister Mary Brady OP (1922-2014), born in Tamworth, is a self-taught painter, though she did receive critiques from Joshua Smith and Norman Carter.
1 portrait in the collection
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.
Josonia Palaitis trained as an art teacher in Sydney in the early 1970s, and experimented with diverse painting styles before settling into the photorealist mode for which she became best known.
1 portrait in the collection
Kerrie Lester (1953–2016) became well-known as a portraitist for her playful, textured, highly coloured works that appeared regularly in the Archibald and Portia Geach exhibitions of the late 1980s and the 1990s.
6 portraits in the collection
Luke Cornish (b. 1979) is a Sydney-based handmade stencil artist. A self-described former blue-collar worker from Canberra, under the name of E.L.K he began experimenting with stencil cutting and spray paint in his mid-twenties.
1 portrait in the collection
Kim Spooner (b. 1955), artist, studied at the University of Sydney and the Julian Ashton School, from which she gained a travel scholarship.
2 portraits in the collection
Judy Cassab AO CBE (1920–2015) was one of Australia's best-loved, most successful and prolific portrait painters.
21 portraits in the collection
Mathew Lynn (b. 1963), primarily a portrait painter, lives and works between Sydney and the Blue Mountains.
2 portraits in the collection
Warburton trained at Hornsby Technical College and Alexander Mackie College in the 1970s.
2 portraits in the collection
Raelene Sharp (b. 1957), artist, was born in Melbourne and began her career as a graphic artist in advertising.
2 portraits in the collection
As the first National Portrait Gallery travelling exhibition, The reflecting eye: portraits of Australian visual artists represents an important milestone in the history of Australia's National Portrait Gallery.
Eric Smith describes the agony and finally the ecstasy of winning the 1982 Archibald Prize with the portrait of Peter Sculthorpe.
Bill Leak (1956-2017), portrait painter and caricaturist, trained at the Julian Ashton art school in the mid-1970s, and began his career painting landscapes.
7 portraits in the collection
Evert Ploeg began his career as a commercial illustrator in the mid-1980s.
8 portraits in the collection
William Beckwith (Bill) McInnes (1889–1939), artist, was only fourteen when he began studying drawing under Frederick McCubbin at the National Gallery School in Melbourne, before moving to painting.
5 portraits in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2007
Cherry Hood (b. 1950), is an artist well known for her haunting, large-scale images of faces.
2 portraits in the collection
Charles Wheeler OBE (1881–1977), artist, won the Archibald Prize in 1933 for a portrait of the popular Melbourne-based writer Ambrose Pratt.
8 portraits in the collection
Gift of Dr Phillip Dutton and Valerie Dutton 2013. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Gift of Tim Olsen 2010. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Margaret Olley AC (1923-2011), painter, studied art at East Sydney Technical College and the Grande Chaumière in Paris.
6 portraits in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of The Hammond Care Group 1999
Nicholas Harding (b. 1956) is a highly regarded British-Australian artist known for his large scale painted portraits and pen and ink drawings.
5 portraits in the collection
Guido Maestri, born in Mudgee, completed a Bachelor of Fine Art (Hons) in painting at the National Art School, Darlinghurst in 2003.
1 portrait in the collection
Gift of Warwick Evans 2021. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Purchased 2018
Jean Nethercote (now Goldberg) first met Ola Cohn when she took a life class in Cohn's studio in the mid-50s.
1 portrait in the collection
Mitch Cairns (b. 1984), painter and cartoonist, won the 2017 Archibald Prize with a portrait of his partner, artist Agatha Gothe-Snape.
1 portrait in the collection
Vincent Fantauzzo (b. 1977), award-winning portrait artist, was born in England and grew up in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
1 portrait in the collection
Gift of the artist 2003. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Alan Dodge AM & Neil Archibald 2019
Adapted from A Tribute to William Dobell an exhibition presented by the Australian National University's Drill Hall Gallery in association with the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation, The National Gallery of Australia, and the Australian War Memorial. Dobell is of course, celebrated for his achievements in portraiture, winning the Archibald prize (1943, 1948 and 1959), the Wynne Prize (1948), and representing Australia at the 1954 Venice Biennale. Curator Mary Eagle concludes her essay in the catalogue of the exhibition thus, "Overall I see a dissonance in Dobell’s art and life
Meg Padgham studied at East Sydney Technical College and the Meldrum School.
1 portrait in the collection
Peter Wegner first participated in a group exhibition in 1977, when he had had no art training.
7 portraits in the collection
Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2015. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Intimate Portraits is an exhibition of paintings, drawings and prints that explore the less public side of portraiture
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
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the National Australia Bank 2002
Geoff Dyer (1947-2020) was renowned landscape and portrait painter whose practice depicted Tasmania and its people.
1 portrait in the collection
Peteris Ciemitis was born in Western Australia in 1959, the son of Latvian refugees.
1 portrait in the collection
Gift of the Karmel family in memory of Lena and Peter Karmel 2018. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
A D (Archibald Douglas) Colquhoun studied art with his father Alexander, a Glasgow-born painter and critic living in Melbourne, and also at the NGV School and in classes with Max Meldrum.
1 portrait in the collection
Sir William Dargie, painter and eight times winner of the Archibald Prize for portraiture, died in Melbourne on July 26, 2003, aged 91.
Hui Hai Xie began exhibiting in 1979 in his native Shanghai, where he studied at Jiaotong University, graduating in 1984 with a Master of Arts (Painting).
2 portraits in the collection
Walter Bowring, born and educated in Auckland, contributed cartoons to the New Zealand observer and The weekly press, exhibited with the Canterbury Society of Arts and studied with Orpen and John in London, where he contributed to Punch, before arriving in Sydney in 1925.
3 portraits in the collection
Bequest of Nick Enright AM 2004
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Gift of Leo Christie 2003. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
David Naseby was born in England and studied in the United Kingdom before coming to Australia in 1953.
8 portraits in the collection
Sarah Engledow steps up to the footlights and applauds the storyline behind Nicholas Harding's portraits of actor John Bell.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Lucio Galletto OAM 2012
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Ernest Buckmaster grew up in country Victoria, where his facility for art was recognised early on.
1 portrait in the collection
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
Ben Quilty (b. 1973), painter, gained bachelor’s degrees in painting and visual communication at Sydney College of the Arts and the University of Western Sydney.
1 portrait in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2003
West Australian-born Lesley Moline (née O’Toole) studied at Perth Technical College before moving to Melbourne in 1933.
1 portrait in the collection
Join us from wherever you are for an intimate, online drawing workshop with British-Australian artist Nicholas Harding.
Jenny Sages (b. 1933), artist, was born to Russian Jewish parents in Shanghai and came to Australia with her family in 1948.
33 portraits in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2004
Amanda King is a Sydney-based visual artist and producer and director of film documentaries.
1 portrait in the collection
Melissa Beowulf grew up in Sydney, where she became a graphic artist.
2 portraits in the collection
Dora Toovey, born in Bathurst, trained in Sydney under Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo, James R Jackson (whom she married) and John Passmore.
2 portraits in the collection
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.
Mike Chavez, also known as MIGS, was born in the Philippines and studied at the Queensland College of Art from 1988 to 1990.
1 portrait in the collection
The life of eccentric Sydney artist Harry 'The Kangaroo' Thornton is yet to be thoroughly researched.
2 portraits in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned 2010
Esme Bell (1919-2018), daughter of inventor, animal fancier and philanthropist Sir Edward Hallstrom, wrote and illustrated a children’s book, The Rainbow Painter, which was published in 1939.
2 portraits in the collection
William Edwin 'Wep' Pidgeon, cartoonist, illustrator and painter was born in Paddington and studied art at the JS Watkins School and East Sydney Technical College.
2 portraits in the collection
Jun Chen (b. 1960), based in Brisbane, trained in traditional Chinese brush painting at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, China.
1 portrait in the collection
Adam Chang (Hong Jun Zhang) (b. 1960), in a Sydney based portrait painter.
1 portrait in the collection
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
The story behind the creation of the portrait of Helen Garner by Jenny Sages.
Graham Thorley (1921–1990) entered the Archibald Prize 23 times between 1940 and 1976, and in 1980 was one of the first Australian artists to visit Antarctica, where he painted a series of landscapes.
2 portraits in the collection
Avril Thomas (b. 1956), artist, was born in Malaysia and went to boarding school in Scotland and Australia.
2 portraits in the collection
Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Sally Robinson, born in England, studied at the National Art School in Sydney from 1970 to 1973, and in the following year took up a position as designer at the Australian Museum in Sydney.
3 portraits in the collection
Born in Sydney, Garry Shead studied at the National Art School in 1961-2.
3 portraits in the collection
Sir William Dargie CBE (1912–2003) studied at the Melbourne Technical College, and then in the studio of AD Colquhoun from 1931 to 1934.
22 portraits in the collection
Gordon Lyall Trindall (1886–1965), painter, gave up his Marrickville barbering business at the age of 26 to become an artist.
1 portrait in the collection
Esther Erlich (b. 1955), a Melbourne-based painter, has been exhibiting since the early 1980s, often with the Libby Edwards Galleries in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and the Barry Newton Gallery in Adelaide.
3 portraits in the collection
Howard Barron (1900–1991), artist, was born in Kent, England. He arrived in Sydney in 1924 where he trained with Sir Will Ashton.
1 portrait in the collection
Hayward 'Bill' Veal was born in Eaglemont, Victoria, and studied in Melbourne with AD Colquhoun and Max Meldrum between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four.
1 portrait in the collection
The story behind the creation of the portrait of singer-songwriter Paul Kelly by the artist Jon Campbell.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2000, part gift of Michael Boddy
A mother’s ‘in-loveness’
Rosemary Valadon (b. 1947) is a Sydney artist best known for large-scale oil paintings characterised by theatricality and opulence and informed with irony and feminism.
2 portraits in the collection
Louise Hearman (b. 1963), graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1984 and has built her visual arts career over the decades since.
1 portrait in the collection
Margaret Woodward (b. 1938), painter, grew up in Sydney where she gained a scholarship to study art at the NAS.
3 portraits in the collection
Paul Newton (b. 1961), is a Sydney-based portrait painter noted for his ability to capture likeness and sensibility.
6 portraits in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Bequest of Richard Divall AO OBE 2017
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2003
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Dalu Zhao, Beijing-born artist, worked during the Cultural Revolution in Heilongjiang Province, like his countryman Jiawei Shen.
1 portrait in the collection
Born in Adelaide in 1973, Sam Leach studied at RMIT University, graduating with a BA (Hons.) in Painting in 2004 and a Master of Arts (Fine Arts) in 2009.
1 portrait in the collection
The artist's diary profiles six decades of Cassab's work, from the early portrait commissions of the 1950s to later paintings that have helped confirm her eminent place in the canon of Australian portraiture.
Frames for his life’s love
AñA Wojak describes themselves as a 'cross-disciplinary artist working in performance, painting, assemblage, installation and theatre design, with a particular interest in site-specificity, ritual and altered states'.
1 portrait in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001
Davida Allen is a Queensland artist. As a student at Brisbane's Stuartholme School in the 1960s she had Betty Churcher as an art teacher.
2 portraits in the collection
Brett Whiteley AO, artist, displayed a brilliant talent for drawing as a Sydney private schoolboy.
11 portraits in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002
Graeme Inson (1923–2000), artist and teacher, was born in Cootamundra, New South Wales and educated at Canberra Grammar School.
5 portraits in the collection
Love versus art
Aileen Dent (1890–1979), painter, is the most-exhibited woman artist in the Archibald Prize, with 63 works hung between 1921 and 1962.
1 portrait in the collection
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.
Jasper Knight (b. 1978) is a Sydney-based artist known for his bright, brash colours and distinctive graphic approach, using materials such as spray paint, masonite, pegboard and salvaged signage.
1 portrait in the collection
Finalist, DPA 2017
Single channel HD digital video
Helen Edwards, a member of Portrait Artists Australia, has been a finalist in the Black Swan Prize four times, the Shirley Hannan Portrait Prize in Bega once and has been selected for the Salon des Refusés of the Archibald twice.
1 portrait in the collection
Purchased with funds donated by Marilyn Darling AC and with the assistance of Philip Bacon Galleries 2000
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
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2009
Phyllis Shillito (1895-1980), designer and teacher, grew up in Yorkshire and trained and taught at Halifax Technical School before moving to teach design, craft and principles of art at Winchester School of Art and Liverpool City School of Art.
1 portrait in the collection
Tasmanian-born Andrew Bonneau (b. 1981) lives and works in Cairns, Queensland.
2 portraits in the collection
Tim Storrier AM (b. 1949), painter, studied at the National Art School from 1967 to 1969.
4 portraits in the collection
Australia's major abstract painter Yvonne Audette discusses her portrait of sculptor Robert Kippel.
Alan Jones (b. 1977), artist, completed an advanced diploma of fine arts at the National Art School, Sydney, in 1997.
1 portrait in the collection
Lewis Miller (b. 1959), artist, won the Archibald Prize in 1998 with one of his many portraits of fellow artist Allan Mitelman, and has been a finalist seventeen times.
4 portraits in the collection
Robin Eley studied Fine Arts at Westmont College, USA and began his career as a professional illustrator. Eley was a finalist in the Eutick Memorial Still Life Prize in 2010 and his work was Highly Commended in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize in 2010 and 2011.
Yvonne East was born in Meningie in regional South Australia and studied art at the University of South Australia, Adelaide, and the University of New South Wales, Sydney.
1 portrait in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2003
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Sir Ivor Hele (1912–1993) was born in Adelaide and studied art at Prince Alfred College and the South Australian School of Arts and, later, in Paris and Munich.
3 portraits in the collection
Ray Crooke AM grew up in Melbourne, where after army service in WA, North Queensland and Borneo, he trained at Swinburne Tech from 1946 to 1948.
3 portraits in the collection
Andrew Sibley (1933–2015), painter and teacher, is known for his figurative paintings, landscapes and abstract works.
20 portraits in the collection
Born in Melbourne in 1977, Michael Peck has a Bachelor of Fine Art (honours) (Painting) from Monash University. He has exhibited as a solo artist since 1998, when he won the National Gallery of Victoria’s Trustees Award.
Deep foundations, shared vision
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2016
John Caldwell, (b.1942) is best known as a painter of landscapes in watercolour, began painting in 1969 while living in London.
2 portraits in the collection
Sir John Longstaff, born in Clunes, Victoria, studied at the NGV school from 1883 to 1887 and thenceforth at Corman's in Paris.
1 portrait in the collection
Gift of the MacMahon family in affectionate memory of Edward MacMahon and William Dobell 2015. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Deidre But-Husaim (b. 1959), based in Adelaide, South Australia, undertook her formative art study at the Adelaide Central School of Art, where she has since taught painting.
2 portraits in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Harvey and Russell Shore 2014
Purchased 2000
Peter Hudson (b. 1950), is a landscape and portrait painter who lives and works in Maleny, Queensland.
5 portraits in the collection
Donald Cameron, Melbourne-born painter and teacher, attended Scotch College before beginning work as an engraver for the Commonwealth Bank in 1943.
1 portrait in the collection
Purchased with funds provided by Alan Dodge AM and Neil Archibald 2021
Andrew Mezei (b. 1963), artist, was born to Hungarian refugee parents in Melbourne and grew up in their leather-goods workshop, observing their adherence to a tradition of fine European craftsmanship.
1 portrait in the collection
Purchased with funds provided by the Circle of Friends 2015
Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Jean Isherwood OAM (1911–2006), artist, was born in Marrickville and won a scholarship to the National Art School at East Sydney Technical College at the age of fourteen.
1 portrait in the collection
Gift of David Crooke 2011. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 1999
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Timothy Fairfax AC 2003
Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Nora Heysen, AM (1911-2003), fourth child of South Australian landscape painter Sir Hans Heysen, grew up in Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills.
9 portraits in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of L Gordon Darling AC CMG in recognition of Sir William Dargie's role in the establishment of the National Gallery of Australia 2002. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mrs Lily Kahan 2017
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Purchased with funds provided by Dr Gene Sherman AM 2016
Bryan Westwood (1930-2000) was a painter and printmaker who twice won the Archibald Prize, for his portrait of artist and critic Elwyn Lynn (1989) and of the then Prime Minister, Paul Keating (1992).
10 portraits in the collection
Gift of Mrs Caroline Philippa Parker 2005. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Purchased 2012
Gift of the artist 2006. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Wes Walters (1928-2014), painter, studied architecture in Geelong and art at the Ballarat School of Mines before embarking on a successful career as a freelance commercial artist in 1950.
3 portraits in the collection
Born in Melbourne, Natasha Bieniek began her formal artistic training at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2002. Bieniek’s When the music’s over (2006) won the Nino Sanciolo Art Prize, a painting scholarship to study at the Accademia d’Arte in Florence, where she learnt the ancient technique of egg tempera.
Gift of the artist 2000
Commissioned with funds provided by Tim Fairfax AC 2018
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Susan Crawford OAM 2016
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
Portrait launch of Major-General Paul Cullen AC CBE DSO and Bar ED (Rtd) and George Judah Cohen.
Purchased 2017
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Liibus family 2015
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of John Hamilton 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Gift of the artist 1999. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Pamela Thalben-Ball (1927–2012), daughter of the artist Evelyn Chapman, studied art at the Heatherley Art School in London from 1946 to 1950.
2 portraits in the collection
Gift of the artist 2011. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Max Cullen (b. 1940), actor and artist, trained in art in Sydney in the 1950s, worked as a commercial artist and illustrator for some years, and has continued to exhibit solo and in group shows including the Archibald, Blake and Sulman Prizes.
1 portrait in the collection
Purchased 2010
Louis Kahan (1905-2002) was born in Vienna, Austria to Jewish parents.
63 portraits in the collection
Gift of Nell Schofield 2020. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Gift of the artist 2005. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Naseby 2001
![Lady [Hannah] Lloyd Jones](/files/c/f/1/1/i14140-sl.jpg "Lady [Hannah] Lloyd Jones")
![Lady [Hannah] Lloyd Jones](/files/c/f/1/1/i14140-ths.jpg "Lady [Hannah] Lloyd Jones")
Gift of Charles E. Jones and Kim Lloyd Jones 2019. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Gift of the artist 2019 acknowledging Herbert Smith Freehills for supporting the creation of the portrait
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Graham Smith 2009
Purchased with funds provided by Marilyn Darling AC and the Sid and Fiona Myer Family Foundation 2021
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2015
Commissioned with funds provided by the Sid and Fiona Myer Family Foundation 2018
Gift of the Hon. Susan Crennan AC QC 2018. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2008
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Susan Webster, step-granddaughter of Dame Elizabeth Couchman, 2015
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999
Courtesy of the Corrigan family and Stuart Purves
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2008
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Purchased 2019
Julie Dowling, an artist of Badimaya, Irish and Scottish Catholic heritage, was born in Subiaco, Western Australia and grew up in nearby urban and semi-rural areas.
2 portraits in the collection
Gift of the artist 2021. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Purchased with the assistance of the Circle of Friends 2018
Commissioned with funds provided by Neil Archibald and Alan R. Dodge AM, Brandon and Angela Munro, Dr Walter Ong and Graeme Marshall 2015
George Lambert (1873–1930), artist, was born in St Petersburg and lived in Germany and England before coming to Australia with his family at the age of fourteen.
7 portraits in the collection
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.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned 2010
Jiawei Shen (b. 1948), artist, was born in China in 1948 and began to gain recognition as a painter during the Cultural Revolution.
13 portraits in the collection
Gift of the Street family and the Jessie Street National Women's Library 2010
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned 2010
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned 2010
Purchased with funds provided by Jan and Gary Whyte, Brian and Barbara Crisp, Gloria Kurtze, Jonathon Mills and Lawsoft Pty Ltd 2011
Robert Hannaford AM (b. 1944), a largely self-taught artist, grew up on his family farm near the small South Australian town of Riverton before working as political cartoonist for the Adelaide Advertiser from 1964 to 1967.
6 portraits in the collection
Mickey Johnson (1834-1906) was an Indigenous leader in the Illawarra district of New South Wales during the second half of the nineteenth century.
1 portrait in the collection
Simon Tedeschi (b. 1981), award-winning classical pianist, grew up in Sydney, and essentially abandoned his school lessons as an adolescent to concentrate on his piano studies with Neta Maughan.
1 portrait in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Marc Besen AO and Dr Joseph Brown AO OBE 2000
Henry (Thomas Henry) Kendall (1839-1882) was once regarded as the finest poet Australia had produced.
1 portrait in the collection
Gift of Jennifer Armstrong 2018. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Elaine Haxton (1909-1999), painter, graphic artist and theatre designer, grew up in Sydney.
1 portrait in the collection
Michael Zavros (b. 1974) graduated from Queensland College of Art with a Bachelor of Visual Arts in 1996.
2 portraits in the collection
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
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Coles Myer Ltd 2002
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2018
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: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2010
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.
Helge Jon Molvig was born and grew up in Newcastle, where he left school at thirteen and worked in a garage and at the steelworks.
6 portraits in the collection
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.’
Gift of Margaret Olley 2002. Transferred from the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mrs Lily Kahan 2006
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Geoff Cousins AM 2007
Professor Stephen Fitzgerald, Australia’s first Ambassador to China, traces the historical course from sino-australian cultural engagement to a maturing Australian identity.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2010
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Robert Campbell Junior, urban Aboriginal artist, was a Ngaku/Dhunghutti man who grew up in Kempsey, New South Wales.
1 portrait in the collection
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.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2019
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Clifton Pugh AO was one of Australia’s best-known artists of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and one of its leading advocates for the arts.
11 portraits in the collection
Commissioned with funds provided by Dr Helen Nugent AO 2018
Janet Dawson (b. 1935), painter, printer, teacher and stage designer, is known for her contribution to abstract art in Australia.
10 portraits in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Sally Hardy 2019
Wendy Sharpe undertook art studies in Sydney between 1978 and 1984 and held her first solo exhibition at the Nicholson Street Gallery in 1985.
3 portraits in the collection
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
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of BHP Billiton 2003
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2007
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005
This exhibition is the first comprehensive survey of self-portraits in Australia, from the colonial period to the present
Press releases and image downloads for media.
The story behind George Lambert's Self-portrait with Gladioli.
Purchased 1999
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of BHP Billiton 2003
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Dridan OAM 2017
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of BHP Billiton 2003
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Packer family 2006
Australia has become recognised for the range and talent of its musicians, composers, conductors and celebrities in general associated with the music industry
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the family of Aimée Viola Horsley, daughter of J.C. Williamson 2009
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
The Portrait Gallery is calling for contributions to support in the acquisition of superb portraits for the national collection.
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.
A new commissioned portrait funded by the Gallery’s Foundation will be launched at Murdoch University in Perth tonight, Wednesday 2 September.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2003
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Lady Primrose Potter 2006
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2008
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
First Ladies profiles women who have achieved noteworthy firsts over the past 100 years.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Combe 1998
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Arthur Murch, artist, is best-known as a painter in a colourful cubistic style, but he was occupied with sculpture throughout his career.
8 portraits in the collection
Australian artist and Archibald Prize winner, Jenny Sages reflects on her work.
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.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2007
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Caroline Chisholm (1808–1877), philanthropist and political agitator, spent almost two decades working to improve conditions for immigrants to Australia.
2 portraits in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Margaret Olley Art Trust 2002
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
The exhibition Sages examines the process of portrait making through four large-scale portraits of women by Jenny Sages, paired with intimate preparatory drawings.
Commissioned with funds provided by Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull 2003
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 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
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Robert Dessaix 2000
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2001
This exhibition traces the creative output of nearly 50 years by one of Australia's landmark living photographers.
Sarah Engledow on Messrs Dobell and MacMahon and the art of friendship.
Seventeen of Australia’s thirty prime ministers to date are represented in the contrasting sizes, moods and mediums of these portraits.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of John McPhee 2018
Commissioned with funds provided by Tim Fairfax AC 2018
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.
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.
Open Air is an exhibition of portraits of Australians in environments of particular significance to them.
Andrew Sayers AM (1957–2015) was inaugural Director of the National Portrait Gallery.
2 portraits in the collection
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Marilyn Darling AC 2013
Gift of the artist 2003
'I have just been to my dressing case to take a peep at you.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Eleonora Triguboff 2013
The Australian of the Year Awards have often provoked controversy about who is selected and whether their achievements are remarkable.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2004
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Michael Desmond explores the complex portrait of Dr Bob Brown by Harold 'The Kangaroo' Thornton.
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.
Dr Sarah Engledow writes about the gift of two striking paintings by the Australian artist Ken Done AM.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Malcolm Robertson in memory of William Thomas Robertson 2018
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Commissioned with funds provided by Peter Weiss AO 2018
Dr. Sarah Engledow discusses a collection of drawings and prints by the Victorian artist Rick Amor acquired in 2005.
Going around a gallery with a child, we point to a painting of a dog and brightly ask ‘What’s that?’ If they don’t say ‘A dog’, we tell them that’s what it is. We don’t say it’s a shape inscribed by an artist that’s popularly understood to signify a dog. That’d only serve to foster a smarty-pants.
Joanna Gilmour describes how artist Sam Leach works on a small scale to grand effect.
Guy Maestri’s portrait of the musician was conceived after the artist saw Gurrumul perform in Sydney on New Year’s Eve 2008.
Nancy Wake AC (b. 1912), one of the most decorated women of World War 2, earned the name the 'White Mouse' for her maddening ability to evade the Gestapo.
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.
Commissioned with funds provided by Ross Adler AC 2018
Australian actress Deborah Mailman is the subject of a unique portrait by Evert Ploeg.
Shen Jiawei was born in China. During the Cultural Revolution he laboured in the Great Northern Wilderness, but even as he worked there, he gained recognition as an artist.
Dr Sarah Engledow writes about the portraiture of Australian artist Nicholas Harding.
Unique in the world, perhaps, is a bronze sculpture that fuses the age-old human portrait bronze tradition, and the later genre of the bronze pug figurine: that’d be William Robinson’s Self-portrait with pug.
Commissioned with funds provided by Westpac Group and Optus 2018
As Bryan Westwood’s portrait of Brian Dunlop hangs adjacent to Brian Dunlop’s portrait of the philanthropist Dr Joseph Brown AO OBE, we see the artist of one work as the subject of the other.
Artist Tessa Jones recalls creating her portrait of Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock singer and music producer, Ross Wilson.
Tim Bonyhady recalls his experience as sitter for his close friend and former National Portrait Gallery Director, the late Andrew Sayers.
Dr Sarah Engledow traces the significant links between Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo and Evelyn Chapman through their portraits.
The National Portrait Gallery, has welcomed the newest portrait commission of Emeritus Professor Derek Denton AC by Evert Ploeg.
John Zubrzycki meets Australian paint pioneer Jim Cobb.
Glenn McGrath makes a strong impact on the English batsmen and the walls of the National Portrait Gallery.
Michael Desmond profiles the Australian songwriter and performer Neil Murray and his contribution to Australian music.
Commissioned with funds provided by Jillian Broadbent AO and Dr Helen Nugent AO 2018.
Joanna Gilmour explores the life and art of the Australian artist Janet Dawson.
During her time in Australian politics, Dame Nancy Buttfield was an impressive advocate for equality for women and was responsible for ending the marriage bar for women in the Public Service.
Commissioned with funds provided by Maliganis Edwards Johnson and Alan Dodge AM 2018
As part of its ongoing program of commissions of portraits of prominent Australians, the National Portrait Gallery has unveiled a portrait of Her Excellency Marjorie Jackson-Nelson by South Australian artist Avril Thomas.
A new painting by Jiawei Shen captures the vision and resolve of the Gallery's founder, L. Gordon Darling AC CMG.
The oil portrait of Sir Frank Packer KBE by Judy Cassab was gifted to the National Portrait Gallery in 2006.
Sarah Engledow on a foundational gallery figure who was quick on the draw.
A photograph of Claudia Karvan that blends actor, character, photographer and captures the creative collaboration of the television series Love my way.
Joanna Gilmore delights in the affecting drawings of Mathew Lynn.
The Chairman, Board, Director and staff mourn the loss of the National Portrait Gallery's inaugural director.
Sarah Engledow previews the beguiling summer exhibition, Idle hours.
Sarah Engledow likes the manifold mediums of Nicholas Harding’s portraiture.
The full-length portrait of HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark by artist Jiawei Shen, has become a destination piece for visitors.
Alexandra Roginski gets a feel for phrenology’s fundamentals.
Jerrold Nathan's portrait of Jessie Street shows the elegant side of a many-faceted lady.
Carrie Kibbler looks at how portraiture fits into the Australian Artbank Collection.
Judith Pugh reflects on Clifton Pugh's approach to portrait making.
How the National Portrait Gallery and its unique collection came to be
Robert Hannaford has completed around 400 portraits over the span of his career.
The exhibition Depth of Field displays a selection of portrait photographs that reflect the strength and diversity of Australian achievement.
Dr Sarah Engledow discusses the recent gift of works by David Campbell.
Cartoonist Michael Leunig's insights into the human condition and current affairs have become famous Australia-wide.
All that fall: Sacrifice, life and loss in the First World War exhibition co-curators Dr Anne Sanders and Dr Christopher Chapman reflect on the evolution of the Gallery’s Anzac Centenary exhibition.
Gideon Haigh discusses portraits of Australian cricketers from the early 20th century
Jaynie Anderson reflects on her experience as sitter for Reshid Bey’s 1962 portrait.
Australia's former Cultural Attache to the USA, Ron Ramsey, describes the mood at the opening week of the revitalised American National Portrait Gallery.
Diana Warnes explores the lives of Hal and Katherine 'Kate' Hattam through their portraits painted by Fred Williams and Clifton Pugh.
Michael Desmond, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2007 Prize.
Michael Desmond profiles a handful of the entrants in first National Photographic Portrait Prize and notes emerging themes and categories.
Stephen Phillips talks to neurosurgeon Charlie Teo about his practice, perspectives and the anatomy of hope.
Sarah Engledow chronicles Rick Amor's work and accomplishments in this extensive essay in conjunction with the exhibition Rick Amor: 21 Portraits.
Sarah Engledow looks at three decades of Nicholas Harding's portraiture.
The life and art of Australian artist Jenny Sages is on display in the exhibition Paths to Portraiture.
Ron Ramsey, former Director of Cultural Relations at the Embassy of Australia interviewed NPG Washington Director, Marc Pachter, about their building renovations.
Chris O'Doherty, also known as Reg Mombassa, is best-known for his Mambo imagery but he also paints a lot of self portraits.
Dr Anne Sanders previews the works in the new focus exhibition Paul Kelly and The Portraits.
Pamela Gerrish Nunn explores New Zealand’s premium award for portraiture.
Jude Rae contemplates the portrait commission.
Johanna McMahon revels in history and mystery in pursuit of a suite of unknown portrait subjects.
Krysia Kitch celebrates Oodgeroo Noonuccal.
Sarah Engledow explores the history of the prime ministers and artists featured in the exhibition.
Sarah Engledow lauds the very civil service of Dame Helen Blaxland.
The portrait of Janet and Horace Keats with the spirit of the poet Christopher Brennan is brought to life by artist Dora Toovey.
Jane Raffan examines unique styles of Indigenous portraiture that challenge traditional Western concepts of the artform.
Aimee Board traces Judy Cassab’s path to the Australian outback, arriving at the junction of inspiration and abstraction.
Jane Raffan investigates auction sales of self portraits nationally and internationally.
Most well-regarded pictures of chickens show them dead. A reliable way to tell if a chicken in a painting is dead is to check if it’s hanging upside down, because unlike, say, cockatoos, chickens don’t practise inversion for enjoyment in life.
Traudi Allen discovers sensitivity, humour and fine draughtsmanship in the portraiture of John Perceval.
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.
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.
How seven portraits within Bare reveal in a public portrait parts of the body and elements of life usually located in the private sphere.
Sarah Engledow ponders the divergent legacies of Messrs Kendall and Lawson.
Sarah Engledow casts a judicious eye over portraits in the Victorian Bar’s Peter O’Callaghan QC Portrait Gallery.
One half of the team that was Eltham Films left scarcely a trace in the written historical record, but survives in a vivid portrait.
