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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.

Mum, 2017 by Joel Brian Pratley

Mum, 2017

by Joel Brian Pratley
Image
My Brother's family, 2018 by Joel Pratley

My Brother's family, 2018

by Joel Pratley
Image
Yahir, waiting to live again, 2017 by Joel Brian Pratley

Yahir, waiting to live again, 2017

by Joel Brian Pratley
Image
Drought story, 2020 Joel B. Pratley

Drought story

Joel B. Pratley
Image
Sir Asher Joel
Sir Asher Joel
Sir Asher Joel

Sir Asher Joel, n.d.

Louis Kahan AO
Portrait, pencil on paper

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

Joel Edgerton
Joel Edgerton
Joel Edgerton

Joel Edgerton, 2007 (printed 2014)

Ingvar Kenne
Portrait, type C photograph on paper

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

Joel, Mitchell Queensland, 2014 by Matthew Abbott

Joel, Mitchell Queensland, 2014

by Matthew Abbott
Image
Joel Pratley

Joel Pratley

Finalist interviews

An interview with Joel Pratley, Winner of the Living Memory National Photographic Portrait Prize.

Sorry, Xerox, Sorry

by Joel Burrows
General content

Finalist, MDPA 2015

Fox Place, 2015 by Mikhaila Jurkiewicz

Fox Place, 2015

by Mikhaila Jurkiewicz
Image
Drought story, 2020 Joel B. Pratley

Living Memory

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2021
Previous exhibition, 2021

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.

Brolga: A Queer Koori Wonderland

Brolga

A Queer Koori Wonderland
Event, Friday 3 May

Go find your costume box and get ready to shake your tail feathers at Brolga, this year’s iteration of the National Portrait Gallery’s 18+ late-night event!

image not online

Macquarie Digital Portraiture Award 2015 finalists announced

17 August 2015
Archived media releases 2015

The National Portrait Gallery have selected the finalists for the Macquarie Digital Portraiture Award 2015.

The Joy Of Life, 2002 by Janelle McKay

Headspace 3

Being Me
Previous exhibition, 2002

The self-portrait enables students to explore emerging and changing aspects of their own identity, their sense of self, their place in the world, their experience of being human

Winners announced: Macquarie Digital Portraiture Award 2015

27 August 2015
Archived media releases 2015

The winners of the Macquarie Digital Portraiture Awards will be announced tomorrow morning at 10.00am at the National Portrait Gallery.

In their own words

Audio-guide
Apps

In their own words is an audio-guide with a difference. We let the portraits of these remarkable Australians speak for themselves.

masculine/feminine, 2010 by Bridget Mac
NYSPP 2010 winner

National Youth Self Portrait Prize

NYSPP 2010
Previous exhibition, 2010

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

The rose, 1927

The World of Thea Proctor

Previous exhibition, 2005

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

Drought story, 2020 Joel B. Pratley

Living Memory – National Photographic Portrait Prize extended to January 2022

6 September 2021
Archived media releases 2021

In light of recent and ongoing gallery closures brought on by the COVID pandemic, the NPG’s 2021 National Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition season will be extended until 16 January next year.

Finalists announced for National Photographic Portrait Prize

14 November 2018
Archived media releases 2018

The National Portrait Gallery would like to congratulate the forty finalists for the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2019.

Charlie, 2017 by Lee Grant

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2018

Previous exhibition, 2018

The exhibition is selected from a national field of entries, reflecting the distinctive vision of Australia's aspiring and professional portrait photographers and the unique nature of their subjects.

Charlie, 2017 by Lee Grant

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2018

8 March 2018
Archived media releases 2018

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

Prince William of Wales, by Mario Testino, 2003 publ. September 2003.
Credit: Mario Testino

Vanity Fair Portraits

Photographs 1913-2008
Previous exhibition, 2009

Vanity Fair Portraits traces the birth and evolution of photographic portraiture through the archives of Vanity Fair magazine.

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

John McRae

NPPP 2012 learning resource

An interview with the photographer.

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

Activating the space

Magazine article by Sandra Phillips, 2020

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

 

Untitled, 2020 Steph Fuller

The look and the feel

Living Memory exhibition essay
General content

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

Jenny Kee, 2015 Carla Fletcher

Twin chics

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2021

Joanna Gilmour on the exuberant union of fashion pioneers Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson, captured in luminescent splendour by artist Carla Fletcher.

Mick Jagger, Madonna and Tony Curtis, 1997

The Vanity model

Magazine article by David Friend, 2009

Vanity Fair Editor David Friend describes how the rebirth of the magazine sated our desire for access into the lives of celebrities and set the standard for the new era of portrait photography.

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.

Dr Anne Sanders

Less than six degrees of separation

Lecture, 28 May 2011
General content

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

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Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia

Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196

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