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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.

Cousins, 2013 by Leigh Harris

Cousins, 2013

by Leigh Harris
Image
Leigh Bowery
Leigh Bowery
Leigh Bowery

Leigh Bowery, 1984

Robyn Beeche
Portrait, type C photograph on paper

Gift of Claudia Hyles, Dr Christiane Lawin-Bruessel, Gwenda Matthews, Gael Newton, Anne O'Hehir, Susan Smith and Dominic Thomas in memory of our friend, Robyn Beeche 2016

Leigh Bowery in Fur Coat
Leigh Bowery in Fur Coat
Leigh Bowery in Fur Coat

Leigh Bowery in Fur Coat, c. 1983 (printed 2005)

David Gwinnutt
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Leigh Hobbs
Leigh Hobbs
Leigh Hobbs

Leigh Hobbs, 1993

Francis Reiss
Portrait, inkjet print on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2009

R O'Hara Burke
R O'Hara Burke
R O'Hara Burke

R O'Hara Burke, c. 1861

De Gruchy & Leigh
Portrait, lithograph on paper

Purchased 2009

William John Wills
William John Wills
William John Wills

William John Wills, c. 1861

De Gruchy & Leigh
Portrait, lithograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2009

Leigh Bowery in Fur Coat

Hyperversity

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2006

Dr Sarah Engledow writes about the larger-than-life Australian performance artist, Leigh Bowery.

Portrait 20

June - August 2006
Magazine

This issue of Portrait Magazine features Dame Nellie Melba and Frances Alda, Leigh Bowery, Karin Catt, Sidney Nolan and more.

The Dipper

The Dipper

Moustaches

One of the versions of thick, macho moustache strongly associated in the Australian visual lexicon with sportsmen of the 1970s and 80s.

Athol Shmith
Athol Shmith
Athol Shmith

Athol Shmith, 1985

Michel Lawrence
Portrait, type C photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

Smalltown Boy (Surfers Paradise)
Smalltown Boy (Surfers Paradise)
Smalltown Boy (Surfers Paradise)

Smalltown Boy (Surfers Paradise), 2018

The Huxleys
Portrait, gilcée print on paper

Purchased 2021

Smalltown Boy (Perth)
Smalltown Boy (Perth)
Smalltown Boy (Perth)

Smalltown Boy (Perth), 2018

The Huxleys
Portrait, gilcée print on paper

Purchased 2021

Mr King (Bernard King)
Mr King (Bernard King)
Mr King (Bernard King)

Mr King (Bernard King), c. 1979

Jon Waddy
Portrait, type C photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005

William Dakin
William Dakin
William Dakin

William Dakin, c. 1943

Gervaise Purcell
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Leigh Purcell 2012

Barry Gibb

The 1950s to the present day

Mo and beard timeline

Certain European leaders (needless to name) had the effect of making certain styles of facial hair decidedly undesirable in the years immediately after World War 2.

Head of a Naked Girl, 2000

Every flap, fold and bulge

Magazine article by Starr Figura, 2008
Lucian Freud's unflinching realism is on display in the first solo exhibition of his paintings and etchings at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Untitled #21/09 (after Ricci, 1700; featuring Matthew Mitcham)

Getting bare

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2015

How seven portraits within Bare reveal in a public portrait parts of the body and elements of life usually located in the private sphere.

Nicole Kidman

Australians in Hollywood

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2003

The exhibition Australians in Hollywood celebrated the achievements of Australians in the highly competitive American film industry.

Ray Lawler

Diamond Doll

Magazine article by Karen Vickery, 2016

Karen Vickery delights in a thespian thread of the Australian yarn.

Lottie Lyell as Doreen by Monte Luke

Their brilliant careers

Magazine article by Jenny Gall, 2017

Jenny Gall delves into Starstruck to celebrate some of Australian cinema’s iconic women.

Howard Taylor

Reflections on portraiture

Magazine article by Andrew Sayers AM, 2004

An extract from the 2004 Nuala O'Flaaherty Memorial Lecture at the Queen Victoria Musuem and Art Gallery in Launceston in which Andrew Sayers reflects on the unique qualities of a portrait gallery.

Eileen Dunne in The Hospital for Sick Children, 1940

The incomparable Beaton

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2005

To accompany the exhibition Cecil Beaton: Portraits, held at the NPG in 2005, this article is drawn from Hugo Vickers's authorised biography, Cecil Beaton (1985).

image not online

Portrait Donors

Listed by year
Honour board

The Bare story

General content

Curator, Penny Grist, reveals how this exhibition came to be

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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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