Search / nathan kelly

Nathan Kelly (b. 1976), photographer, studied fine arts at the Sydney College of the Arts at the University of Sydney before being named as one of Australia’s top 30 photography graduates by Australian Commercial Photography magazine.

3 portraits in the collection

Henry "Seaman" Dan, 2009

Nathan Kelly

Purchased 2010

John Gorton, 1997

Nathan Kelly

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002

Mark and Nick Seymour, 1997

Nathan Kelly

Portrait, screenprint on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Paul Kelly, c. 1983

William Kelly OAM

Purchased 2022

The Bushranger Tragedy (from The Australasian Sketcher, 23 November 1878)

The Bushranger Tragedy (from The Australasian Sketcher, 23 November 1878), 1878

an unknown artist, The Australasian Sketcher

Purchased 2003

Reginald Jerrold-Nathan

Portrait, inkjet print on paper

Reginald Henry Jerrold-Nathan (1889-1979) arrived in Australia from London in 1924, having studied under John Singer Sargent and William Orpen at the Royal Academy, where he was awarded a medal for portrait painting.

2 portraits in the collection

Trent Nathan and Shane Barr, 1995 (printed 2018)

Gary Ede

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2018

Beyond the bow tie

About Face article

Nathan Faiman delves into the rich life story and legacy of Alan Goldberg.

Jessie Street, 1929

Reginald Jerrold-Nathan

Gift of the Street family and the Jessie Street National Women's Library 2010

Portrait of Dr John Bradfield, c. 1920-1924

Reginald Jerrold-Nathan

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the family of Dr J J C Bradfield 2006
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Ned Kelly

Edward 'Ned' Kelly (1855-1880), bushranger, is Australia's pre-eminent folk hero.

8 portraits in the collection

Dan Kelly

A police party comprising Sergeant Kennedy and Constables Lonigan, Scanlan and McIntyre was dispatched to capture the Kelly gang in 1878.

1 portrait in the collection

Kelly Dixon

Kelly Dixon is one of Australia's best-known bush balladeers. His poems have been set to music by some of Australia's leading country music stars - including Slim Dusty, who recorded Kelly's classic "Leave Him Out There in the Longyard." Kelly's verses have been collected in the books From a Drifter's Pen and From Under the Cross.

1 portrait in the collection

Paul Kelly AO

Paul Kelly AO (b. 1955), singer/songwriter and producer, grew up in Adelaide and made his performing debut in Hobart in 1974.

5 portraits in the collection

William Kelly OAM

Previous exhibition, 2013

William Kelly OAM (b. 1943) was born in Buffalo, New York and was a steelworker before becoming a student at the Philadelphia College of Art.

2 portraits in the collection

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.

Capture of the Kelly Gang of Australian Bushrangers.- 1. Ruins of Jones's Hotel, Glenrowan where the outlaws were besieged by the Police.- 2. Ned Kelly's Suit of Armour.- 3. Policeman in Bush Costume.- 4. Ned Kelly at Bay.- 5. A Black Tracker.- 6. Ned Kelly in the goal Hospital at Melbourne.

Capture of the Kelly Gang of Australian Bushrangers.- 1. Ruins of Jones's Hotel, Glenrowan where the outlaws were besieged by the Police.- 2. Ned Kelly's Suit of Armour.- 3. Policeman in Bush Costume.- 4. Ned Kelly at Bay.- 5. A Black Tracker.- 6. Ned Kelly in the goal Hospital at Melbourne., 1880

The Graphic

Purchased 2018

Gail Kelly

'Judge a person by their cover'

Gail Kelly (b. 1956), former banking executive, was born in South Africa and gained degrees in arts and education from the University of Cape Town before working as a high-school Latin teacher.

1 portrait in the collection

Ned Kelly and death masks

Portrait story

Alexandra Roginski explains the history behind the pseudo-science of phrenology.

Ned Kelly the Bushranger (from The Australasian Sketcher, 7 August 1880)

Ned Kelly the Bushranger (from The Australasian Sketcher, 7 August 1880), 1880

an unknown artist

Portrait, synthetic polymer and enamel paint on canvas

Purchased 2002

Paul Kelly, 2004

Jon Campbell

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2004

Archbishop Michael Kelly

Michael Kelly (1850-1940), Roman Catholic archbishop, was born and educated in Ireland before proceeding to the Irish College in Rome.

1 portrait in the collection

'Les Batteurs de Buisson en Australie - Une balle avait atteint le bandit au genou' Front cover of 'Journal des Voyages', 1884 depicting Ned Kelly, 1884

Perrychon after Castelli

Purchased 2012

Kelly Dixon, Tent Hill, Qld, 2004

John Elliott

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005

Paul Kelly, 2007

Martin Philbey

Portrait, softground etching on paper.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2008

Michael Kelly, 1998

Rick Amor

Gift of the artist 2005. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Paul Kelly, 2013

Warwick Thornton

Portrait, single channel moving image, colour, sound, 8 minutes 54 seconds

Commissioned with funds provided by Ian Darling 2013

Kelly in the Guard's Van en route to Beechworth (from The Australasian Sketcher, 17 July 1880)

Kelly in the Guard's Van en route to Beechworth (from The Australasian Sketcher, 17 July 1880), 1880

Purchased 2017

Gail Kelly, 2018

Paul Newton

The Illustrated London News

Commissioned with funds provided by Westpac Group and Optus 2018

Ned Kelly, 1880

Purchased 2018

Ned Kelly's armour (from The Australasian Sketcher, 3 July 1880)

Ned Kelly's armour (from The Australasian Sketcher, 3 July 1880), 1880

Magazine article by Dr Anne Sanders, 2013

Purchased 2017

Pop poet

Dr Anne Sanders previews the works in the new focus exhibition Paul Kelly and The Portraits.

Neilma Gantner, c. 1990

William Kelly OAM

Portrait, charcoal on paper

Purchased 2022

Ned Kelly death mask, date unknown

an unknown artist after Maximilian Kreitmayer

Portrait, cast plaster

Collection: National Portrait Gallery Study Collection, Canberra
Gift of John Molony 2018

Paul Kelly, 2007

Peter Brew-Bevan

Portrait, cast bronze on black granite plinth

Gift of the artist 2012

Archbishop Michael Kelly, c. 1924 (cast 2010)

Arthur Murch

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2015

Before Too Long

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2004

The story behind the creation of the portrait of singer-songwriter Paul Kelly by the artist Jon Campbell.

Good, bad and the ugly

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2007

Michael Desmond explores what makes a portrait subject significant.

The Kelly Gang (from The Australasian Sketcher, 17 July 1880)

The Kelly Gang (from The Australasian Sketcher, 17 July 1880), 1880

Archived media releases 2013

Purchased 2017

Paul Kelly

Learning resources

A companion to our 2013 exhibition Paul Kelly & The Portraits. For Year 7 to Year 12 students.

Paul Kelly and The Portraits media information

18 June 2013

Paul Kelly & The Portraits presents a multifaceted image of the performer over the course of his career.

The Destruction of the Kelly gang (from The Australasian Sketcher, 17 July 1880)

The Destruction of the Kelly gang (from The Australasian Sketcher, 17 July 1880), 1880

Portrait, synthetic polymer paint on board

Purchased 2017

Peter Carey in Kelly country, 2000

Bruce Armstrong

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Gail Kelly, 2018

by Paul Newton

Commissioned with funds provided by Westpac Group and Optus 2018

Thomas McIntyre

A police party comprising Sergeant Kennedy and Constables Lonigan, Scanlan and McIntyre was dispatched to capture the Kelly gang in 1878.

1 portrait in the collection

Thomas Lonigan

A police party comprising Sergeant Kennedy and Constables Lonigan, Scanlan and McIntyre was dispatched to capture the Kelly gang in 1878.

1 portrait in the collection

Sergeant Michael Kennedy

A police party comprising Sergeant Kennedy and Constables Lonigan, Scanlan and McIntyre was dispatched to capture the Kelly gang in 1878.

1 portrait in the collection

Michael Scanlan

A police party comprising Sergeant Kennedy and Constables Lonigan, Scanlan and McIntyre was dispatched to capture the Kelly gang in 1878.

1 portrait in the collection

Steve Hart

Steve Hart (1859–1880), a member of the 'Kelly gang', lived his whole short life in the country around Wangaratta.

1 portrait in the collection

Joe Byrne

Joe Byrne (1857-1880), born to Irish Catholic parents like the others in Ned Kelly’s ‘gang’, showed promise at school but left as a twelve year old, after his father died.

1 portrait in the collection

Peter Hudson

September - November 2004

Peter Hudson (b. 1950), is a landscape and portrait painter who lives and works in Maleny, Queensland.

5 portraits in the collection

Portrait 45

Winter 2013

Magazine

This issue features Paul Kelly, Rineke Dijkstra, John Brack, the National Photographic Portrait Prize and more.

Portrait 13

Magazine

This issue of Portrait Magazine features Nancy Wake, Jon Campbell's portrait of Paul Kelly, George Selth Coppin, Henri Cartier-Bresson and more.

Prison and death in the 19th century

Two iBooks of authentic records

Learning resources

These books include sixteen inmates including Ned Kelly, Captain Moonlite and Frederick Deeming and twelve sketches of the deceased, including several children. For Year 7 – 9 students.

12 Untitled Self Portraits (Set 3), 1990

Mike Parr, John Loane

Portrait, drypoint on 12 sheets of paper, unique state prints on paper

Gift of Sara Kelly 2010. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Ian Darling AO

Portrait, oil on canvas laid on composition board

Ian Darling AO is an award winning documentary filmmaker. He has made two films about adventurer and explorer Jon Muir; Alone Across Australia and Suzy & The Simple Man.

1 portrait in the collection

She saved his life. He showed her painting.

Nearest & Dearest

Leaders, painters, friends

Songman, portrait of Kev Carmody, 2006

Peter Hudson

Courtesy of Kev Carmody, Song Cycles Pty Ltd.

Jimmy Barnes at The Coogee Bay Hotel 1984 (detail) Grant Matthews

Pub Rock

Your backstage pass to 70s and 80s sounds and scenes

Previous exhibition, 2020

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

Joan Croll AO

Dr Joan Croll AO (1928–2022), radiologist and physician, studied medicine at the University of Sydney and commenced practising in 1975.

2 portraits in the collection

Kerrie Lester

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

Kev Carmody

Magazine article by Andrew Sayers AM, 2001

Kev Carmody (b. 1946) grew up on a cattle station on the Darling Downs, where his parents worked as drovers.

1 portrait in the collection

Me Myself I

Andrew Sayers explores the self-portraits created by Australian artist Sidney Nolan.

Proof

Portraits from The Movement 1978-2003

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.

Peter Carey AO

Portrait, albumen silver carte de visite photograph

Peter Carey (b. 1943) is an author whose novels sweep between the fantastic and the realistic, the comic and the tragic, and the present and the past.

3 portraits in the collection

Madame Sibly, Phrenologist and Mesmerist

Madame Sibly, Phrenologist and Mesmerist, c. 1870

James E. Bray

Purchased 2017

Jon Campbell

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper

Jon Campbell (b. 1961) came to Australia from Northern Ireland as a three-year-old.

2 portraits in the collection

Brian Croser AO, 1998

Kate Gollings

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Marilyn Darling AC 2001

Martin Philbey

Martin Philbey (b. 1962) is a Melbourne-based photographer who has amassed an archive of 100,000 images over his twenty-year career.

4 portraits in the collection

Archie Roach AM

Archie Roach AM (1956–2022), singer/songwriter and storyteller, has been described as the voice of the Stolen Generations.

2 portraits in the collection

Gary Heery

Gary Heery, photographer, was born in Sydney, where he studied sociology and psychology at the University of New South Wales.

1 portrait in the collection

Archie Roach, 1992 (printed 2010)

Bill McAuley

Previous exhibition, 2001

Purchased 2010

Nolan Heads

Nolan Heads will focus on the portraiture of one of Australia's most original painters and one of the few to have achieved an international reputation

Sidney Nolan, 1964

Axel Poignant

Portrait Sculpture in Australia

Purchased 2003

Decorative portrait – Len Lye, c.1925 by Rayner Hoff (1894-1937)

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

Peter Carey, 1989

Lewis Morley

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

Peter Carey, 1989 (printed 2002)

Lewis Morley

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

Bill Hunter

Bill Hunter (1940-2011), actor, spent five decades on Australian television and cinema screens.

1 portrait in the collection

Heath Ledger

Portrait, oil on canvas laid on composition board

Heath Ledger was born on the fourth of April 1979, in Perth, Western Australia.

3 portraits in the collection

Archie Roach, 2008

Peter Hudson

Gift of the artist 2010. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Shane Maloney

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2009

Shane Maloney (b. 1953) is the creator of the popular 'Murray Whelan' series of six crime novels, beginning with Stiff (1994) and The Brush-Off (1996) and currently ending at Sucked In (2007).

1 portrait in the collection

Worth her salt

Jerrold Nathan's portrait of Jessie Street shows the elegant side of a many-faceted lady.

Face the music

Magazine article by Christine Clark, 2005

Drawn from the Gallery's collection, the exhibition Face the Music explores the remarkable talents and achievements of Australian musicians, composers, conductors and celebrities associated with the music industry.

Mal Meninga, 2018

by Peter Hudson

Commissioned with funds provided by Maliganis Edwards Johnson and Alan Dodge AM 2018

Christine Anu

Magazine article by Andrew Sayers AM, 2006

Christine Anu (b. 1970), singer/songwriter and actor, was born in Cairns, Queensland.

1 portrait in the collection

Self Creation

Former National Portrait Gallery Director, Andrew Sayers recalls meeting iconic Australian artist Sidney Nolan.

Self portrait, 1988

Sidney Nolan

Portrait, oil on composition board

Gift of Hon RL Hunter QC 2006. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Dorothy Porter, 2001-2002

Rick Amor

Gift of Andrea Goldsmith 2011. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Yami Lester speaks at Uluru Handback Ceremony

Yami Lester OAM

A Yankunytjatjara man, Yami Lester OAM (1941–2017) was born at Walyatjata in the north of South Australia.

1 portrait in the collection

Joan Croll, 1976

John Brack

Gift of Frank Croll and Dr Joan Croll AO 2001. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Mark Richards

Portrait, conté crayon on paper

Mark Richards (b. 1957), surfer and surfboard shaper, began his competitive career in 1973, when he came second in the Australian Titles Open division at the age of 16.

1 portrait in the collection

Study for portrait of Joan Croll, 1976

John Brack

Gift of Dr Joan Croll AO 2007. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

James Mollison AO

James Mollison AO (1931–2020) was the inaugural director of the National Gallery of Australia.

2 portraits in the collection

John Tsiavis

John Tsiavis (b. 1977) is a photographer working across portraiture, entertainment, editorial and advertising projects.

6 portraits in the collection

Patrick Ryan

Patrick Ryan (d. 1990) and Tim Burstall set up Eltham Films in the early 1950s, when the local film industry was moribund.

1 portrait in the collection

Sidney Nolan

Sir Sidney Nolan AC OM CBE (1917–1992) was one of the most original and inventive Australian artists of the postwar decades, and one of few Australian artists to achieve an international reputation in the twentieth century.

6 portraits in the collection

Yami Lester speaks at Uluru Handback Ceremony, 1985 (printed 2003)

Juno Gemes

Gift of the artist 2005. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts (b. 1968), actress, was born in England and came to Australia from Wales at the age of fourteen.

1 portrait in the collection

James Mollison, c. 1973 (printed 2004)

Wesley Stacey

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of James Mollison AO 2004

James Mollison, c. 1973 (printed 2004)

Wesley Stacey

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of James Mollison AO 2004

Naomi Watts, 2003

Peter Brew-Bevan

Gift of the artist 2004

Mandawuy Yunupingu, NT, 2004

John Elliott

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005

Mandawuy Yunupingu, 1991 (printed 2011)

Lorrie Graham

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Jimmy Little AO

Jimmy Little AO (1937–2012), singer, actor and advocate, was a Yorta Yorta man raised at the Cummerangunja Mission near the Murray River, New South Wales.

3 portraits in the collection

Ruby Hunter, 1996 (printed 2012)

Jacqueline Mitelman

Purchased 2012

Madame Marie Carandini

Marie Carandini (née Burgess, 1826–1894), aka 'Madame Carandini', was seven years old when her family arrived in Van Diemen's Land as assisted immigrants.

1 portrait in the collection

Dan Sultan

Dan Sultan (b. 1983), Arrernte/Gurindji singer/songwriter, grew up in Melbourne.

1 portrait in the collection

Mick Fanning AO

Previous exhibition, 2005

Michael 'Mick' Fanning AO (b. 1981) was the world's number one surfer in 2007, 2009 and 2013.

1 portrait in the collection

Cecil Beaton

Portraits

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.

Waiting for Zipporah (Christine Anu), 2002

Elizabeth Barden

Portrait, synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2004

Dorothy Porter

Dorothy Porter (1954–2008), poet and writer, grew up in Sydney and the Blue Mountains, graduated from the University of Sydney in 1975 and taught creative writing at the University of Technology, Sydney.

1 portrait in the collection

Rachel Griffiths, 2002 (printed 2004)

Karin Catt

Magazine article by Tegan Mcauley, 2015

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

The Rays, 1970
Raindance Corporation, Frank Gillette, Michael Shamberg, Paul Ryan

Post digital

Tegan McAuley looks at the evolution of video portraiture.

Celebrity cutpurse

Magazine article by Grace Carroll, 2010

Grace Carroll discusses the portrait of the late-eighteenth century gentleman pickpocket George Barrington.

Mandawuy Yunupingu AC

Dr Mandawuy Yunupingu (1956–2013), singer songwriter, was the lead singer of Australia's pre-eminent Aboriginal band, Yothu Yindi.

2 portraits in the collection

Ruby Hunter

Portrait, inkjet print on paper

Ruby Hunter (1955-2010), singer/songwriter, was a Ngarrindjeri/ Kukatha/ Pitjantjatjara woman from South Australia.

1 portrait in the collection

Heath Ledger, Prague, 2000 (printed 2009)

Bruce Weber

Purchased with the assistance of Alan Dodge AM 2009

How to be a boy

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2011

Christopher Chapman profiles Chris Lilley, actor and creator of Angry Boys.

Paul Grabowsky, 2009

Martin Philbey

Commissioned with funds provided by Patrick Corrigan AM 2009

Paul Grabowsky, 2009

Martin Philbey

Commissioned with funds provided by Patrick Corrigan AM 2009

Sidney Nolan, Western Australia, 1962 (printed 2000)

David Moore

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.

Andrew George Scott, alias Captain Moonlite, c.1879 attributed to Charles Nettleton

The Portrait Gallery

Photography played a significant role in the circulation of messages about law and order, and in the creation of sensation and celebrity.

Danila Vassilieff

Danila Vassilieff, born in Russia, arrived in Australia in the early 1920s having served in a Cossack cavalry regiment, been captured by Communist forces and escaped via Persia and India to China.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Whitaker

Robert Whitaker, English photographer, spent three years in Melbourne in the early 1960s, becoming friends with Mirka and Georges Mora, Barry Humphries, Germaine Greer, the Heide crowd and Martin Sharp and Richard Neville.

1 portrait in the collection

Mark Richards, 1976

John Witzig

Previous exhibition, 2005

Purchased 2007

Face the Music

Australia has become recognised for the range and talent of its musicians, composers, conductors and celebrities in general associated with the music industry

Peter Goldsworthy AM

Death masks and phrenology

Peter Goldsworthy AM (b. 1951), medical doctor and writer, was born in Minlaton, South Australia, and grew up in various country towns as his father, a school teacher, moved for work.

2 portraits in the collection

Judge a person by their cover

Archived media releases 2015

Alexandra Roginski explains the history behind the pseudo-science of phrenology, popular in the nineteenth century.

Sideshow Alley: Infamy, the macabre & the portrait

5 December 2015

Bushrangers, oddities, true crime and scandal come together in this modern day cabinet of curiosities.

Fans at an Easybeats concert, Sydney Stadium, 1965 Bob King

Oz Origins

A little bit louder now

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.

Karen Quinlan AM

Karen Quinlan AM took up her appointment as Director of the National Portrait Gallery in December 2018. Karen commenced her curatorial career in 1994 at National Gallery of Victoria before becoming Curator of Bendigo Art Gallery in 1996, and the Director of Bendigo Art Gallery from 2000 until 2018. Karen was a Professor of Practice and previously Director of the La Trobe Art Institute La Trobe University, a former Trustee of the State Library of Victoria, Board Member and former Chair of the Public Galleries Association of Victoria.

Australians in Hollywood

Previous exhibition, 2018

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

Collection: Icons

Volume Two

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.

Lewis Morley

Myself and Eye

Magazine article by Ellen Kent, 2007

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

Prime Minister Gough Whitlam pours soil into the hand of traditional land owner Vincent Lingiari

A handful of sand

Ellen Kent examines the portrait of Vincent Lingiari and Prime Minister Gough Whitlam taken by photographer Mervyn Bishop.

Neil Armfield, 2010

Adam Cullen

Significant Australian Women 1913–2013

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned 2010

First Ladies

Previous exhibition, 2013

First Ladies profiles women who have achieved noteworthy firsts over the past 100 years.

Peter Brew-Bevan Portraits

Previous exhibition, 2005

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

Open Air

Portraits in the Landscape

Previous exhibition, 2008

Open Air is an exhibition of portraits of Australians in environments of particular significance to them.

Sideshow Alley

Infamy, the macabre & the portrait

Previous exhibition, 2015

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.

Dan the man

Magazine article by India Bednall, 2015

Martin Philbey’s portrait of Dan Sultan.

Protest!

How can we dance when our earth is turning?

Previous exhibition, 2014

Rock’s raw potency made it the ideal medium for fomenting protest. The 1970s, 80s and onwards saw calls for social and environmental justice ring out through song.

Rick Amor

21 Portraits

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.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2020

Previous exhibition, 2020

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.

Tim Burstall

Archived media releases 2019

Tim Burstall (1927-2004) set up Eltham Films in the early 1950s, when the local film industry was moribund.

2 portraits in the collection

Summertime Fun at the National Portrait Gallery

4 January 2019

Escape the heat this summer and step inside the National Portrait Gallery for an array of family-fun activities. From storytelling and drawing to music and art, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at the Gallery.

National Portrait Gallery unveils twenty new portrait commissions to celebrate twenty years

18 October 2018

Archived media releases 2018

The National Portrait Gallery has unveiled twenty new portrait commissions of Australian leaders and individualists as part of its twentieth birthday celebrations in a new exhibition, 20/20: Celebrating twenty years with twenty new portrait commissions.

Layla 2020 Veronica Watson, pencil on paper. Layla 2020 Sarah McEwan, fabric, acrylic on MDF. Self portrait 2020 Layla Bacayo, drypoint on paper. Image: Sarah McEwan

Mash-up

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2022

Penelope Grist delves into an insightful portraiture exhibition that asks: How do three artists see the same sitter?

String of Pearls

Magazine article by Andrew Sayers AM, 2001

Andrew Sayers discusses the portrait of Dr Joan Croll AO by the Australian artist John Brack.

Thomas Pearce, c. 1878

The Photographic Society of Victoria, Melbourne

Portrait, albumen paper carte de visite on card

Purchased 2010

Australian Visit

Previous exhibition, 2006

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.

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.

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.

Darling Portrait Prize

Previous exhibition, 2020

The Darling Prize is a new annual prize for Australian portrait painters, painting Australian sitters. The winner receives a cash prize of $75,000.

Intense identity

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2009

Dr Chistopher Chapman discusses the portrait of Australian author Christos Tsiolkas taken by John Tsiavis.

Helen Nugent, Karen Quinlan and Angus Trumble

Ms Karen Quinlan appointed to lead the NPGA

25 September 2018

Archived media releases 2018

The Board of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia is delighted to announce the appointment of Ms Karen Quinlan as its incoming Director.

Getting a head

Magazine article by Alexandra Roginski, 2015

Alexandra Roginski gets a feel for phrenology’s fundamentals.

Faces of war

Lecture, 14 May 2011

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2007

Lesley Harding, Curator, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne explores Albert Tucker’s experience of World War II, his interests in the intersection between psychology and creativity, and their influence on his portrait making.

Sydney city (Patrick White and Tom Uren, Hiroshima Day demonstration), 1984

The activist A-list

Dr Sarah Engledow examines a number of figures in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery who were pioneers or substantial supporters of the seminal Australian environmental campaigns of the early 1970s and 1980s.

Through blue eyes

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2009

Works by Arthur Boyd and Sidney Nolan bring the desert, the misty seashore and the hot Monaro plains to exhibition Open Air: Portraits in the landscape.

Australian of the Year

Inspiring a Nation

Previous exhibition, 2010

The Australian of the Year Awards have often provoked controversy about who is selected and whether their achievements are remarkable.

Announcing... Pub Rock

11 August 2020

Archived media releases 2020

An exhibition that celebrates the people, places and sounds of Australian pub rock and its enduring impact on the nation’s identity, opens at the National Portrait Gallery on 5 September, 2020.

Alexander Pearce
executed for murder
July 19th 1824

Public hanging

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2008

As a convict Thomas Bock was required to sketch executed murders for science; as a free man, fashionable society portraits.

Jacki Weaver, 2018

by John Tsiavis

The vision of Gordon and Marilyn Darling

Commissioned with funds provided by Marilyn Darling AC 2018

Uncommon Australians

Previous exhibition, 2015

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.

The 1850s to the 1880s

Mo and beard timeline

The restrained and cultivated facial hair fashions evident through the first decades of the 1800s were on the wane by the middle of the century, when hirsute faces became mainstream.

Tan Le, 2018

by John Tsiavis

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2011

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

True fella

Michael Desmond profiles the Australian songwriter and performer Neil Murray and his contribution to Australian music.

The Writer: Peter Goldsworthy, 2018

by Deidre But-Husaim

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2005

Commissioned with funds provided by Jillian Broadbent AO and Dr Helen Nugent AO 2018.

Friends and Acquaintances

Dr. Sarah Engledow discusses a collection of drawings and prints by the Victorian artist Rick Amor acquired in 2005.

Portrait Donors

Listed by year

Honour board

First-Class Marksman, 1946 by Sidney Nolan

Money for Myth

Magazine article by Jane Raffan, 2015

Australian character on the market by Jane Raffan.

Announcing.... In their own words

24 November 2020

Archived media releases 2020

Inspiring Australians tell their own stories in a unique new gallery audio tour, developed in collaboration with the National Library of Australia.

Something old, something new

Magazine article by Andrew Mayo, 2017

Andrew Mayo considers the changing face of modern wedding photography through the eyes of two of its finest exponents, Dan O’Day and Kelly Tunney.

Self Portrait in red shirt, 1937 by Arthur Boyd

Arthur as Alyosha?

Magazine article by Patrick McCaughey, 2015

Patrick McCaughey explores a striking Boyd self portrait.

Naked nostalgia

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2016

Penelope Grist reminisces about the halcyon days of a print icon, before the infusion of the internet’s shades of grey.

In the mirror: self portrait with Joy Hester

Spring exhibition program

18 August 2020

Archived media releases 2020

The following on-line and physical exhibitions are planned to open at the National Portrait Gallery in coming months. For those who can’t travel at present, selected works from all exhibitions will be included online

Clay, water, fire

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2005

Ah Xian's porcelain portrait of paediatrician Dr. John Yu reflects Yu's heritage and interests.

Australia’s great internationalists

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2016

Penelope Grist explores the United Nations stories in the Gallery’s collection.

Writing on the Wall, 2019 Dr Christian Thompson AO

To arrive at hope

NPPP 2020 exhibition essay

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2011

Penelope Grist, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2020 Prize.

Beautiful bones

Sarah Engledow reflects on the shared life and writing of Dorothy Porter and Andrea Goldsmith.

Seduce, Amuse, Entertain

NPPP 2007 exhibition essay

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2007

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.

Rick Amor: 21 Portraits

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2008

Sarah Engledow chronicles Rick Amor's work and accomplishments in this extensive essay in conjunction with the exhibition Rick Amor: 21 Portraits.

Studio of the American & Australasian Photographic Co., Hill End, 1872

A rogue's calling card

Joanna Gilmour explores the stories behind the ninteenth-century carte de visites of bushrangers Frank Gardiner and Fred Lowry.

The play’s the thing

About Face article

Penelope Grist charts an immersive path through Stuart Spence’s photography.

Painting writing

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2007

Dr Sarah Engledow explores the portraits of writers held in the National Portrait Gallery's collection.

Peter Wilmoth, age 12, with copies of Our World 1974 Courtesy of the author

Paper, boy

Magazine article by Peter Wilmoth, 2016

Peter Wilmoth’s boy-journalist toolkit for antagonising an Australian political giant.

Daniel Johns, Silverchair Melbourne 2007 by Martin Philbey

Rock art

Magazine article by Andrew Mayo, 2016

Andrew Mayo talks to three of Australia’s most prominent and prolific music photographers — Martin Philbey, Kane Hibberd and Daniel Boud — about the challenges and inspiration behind their craft.

Drawing inspiration

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2017

Christopher Chapman absorbs the gentle touch of Don Bachardy’s portraiture.

Lauded legacy

Magazine article by Karl James, 2015

Karl James gives short shrift to doubts about the profile of General Sir John Monash.

Cultural kaleidoscope

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2006

The complex connections between four creative Australians; Patrick White, Sidney Nolan, Robert Helpmann and Peter Sculthorpe.

History

About us

How the National Portrait Gallery and its unique collection came to be

Trevor Jamieson, 2016 by Brett Canet-Gibson

The more things change...

NPPP 2017 exhibition essay

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2015

Dr Sarah Engledow, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2017 Prize.

The silent partner

One half of the team that was Eltham Films left scarcely a trace in the written historical record, but survives in a vivid portrait.

The Art Lovers - Megan, 2013 by Gary Grealy

Everybody, look serious

NPPP 2014 exhibition essay