Search / nick enright

Nick Enright, c. 1976 (printed 2004)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2003

Nick Enright, n.d.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Estate of Stuart Campbell 2012

Nick Cave by Howard Arkley

An interview with graffiti artist Marc de Jong about the art of Howard Arkley.

Tommy, 2019

Carly, 2012

Goin' t' be like lightnin'

Leon

Lockdown bubble

Pro Hart & Associates, 2004

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2004

Nick Cave, 1999

Commissioned with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 1999

Nick Cave, 1973 (printed 1991)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2006

Nick Cave, 2001 (printed 2014)

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

Nick Cave, 1994

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002

Study for painting commission. David Chalmers Portrait Study 3, 2010

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned 2011

David Chalmers, 2011

Commissioned 2011

Study for a portrait of Alex Wodak, 2003

Gift of Dr Jack Wodak 2006. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Sir Bernard Katz, 1993 (printed 2003)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2004

Sir John Cornforth, 1993 (printed 2003)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2004

Nick Farr-Jones, 2019

Commissioned with funds provided by the Patrick Corrigan Portrait Commission Series 2019

David Chalmers

Professor David Chalmers explains his interest in philosophy and introduces some of his theories on the conscious mind.

Nick Cave and Rowland S. Howard (of The Birthday Party), 1983

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002

Nick Cave, Susie Bick and Luke Cave, 1998 (printed 2020)

Purchased 2022

A non-material and non-physical portrait

Inner Worlds features the recently commissioned portrait of world-renowned philosopher of consciousness David Chalmers by Melbourne-based artist Nick Mourtzakis.

Dissections

This display sets two impressive portraits from the collection into direct dialogue: Sam Jinks’ sculptural self portrait and Nick Mourtzakis’ painted portrait of David Chalmers, along with related maquette and sketches.Together they explore physical and psychological manifestations of the strata of self-hood.

The Boys Next Door, 1978

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

Paul Hester, 1987 (printed 2021)

Gift of the artist 2021

Mark and Nick Seymour, 1997

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Transition: Nikki & Nick, 2011

Rocking the boat, 2006

Sleep, 2019

George Miller, 2002 (printed 2004)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Head study for portrait of Margaret Olley, 1994

Bequest of Nick Enright AM 2004

Dave Graney, 1996

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002

Donald Horne, 2000

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Julia Horne and Nick Horne
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program 2015

Pub Rock

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

Capital Cool

Outsiders tend to give Canberra a bad rap: sterile, plagued by politicians, a comatose capital for professionals and academics. Nick Cave once said he didn’t like the city because there were too many punks.

Living Memory

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.

Stepping out

Beautiful punk love

Michael Hutchence by Harry Borden

An interview with photographer Harry Borden about his portrait of Michael Hutchence.

Dissections: Layered portraits from the collection is now open

Dissections, showcases the hyper-realist sculptural self-portrait of artist Sam Jinks, Divide, alongside the painted portrait of philosopher David Chalmers by Nick Mourtzakis, which was commissioned by the Gallery in 2011.

Howard Arkley 1, 1980 (printed 2012)

Purchased 2012

Australian Love stories

Reconnect and reflect with our new major exhibition, Australian Love Stories (in real life!) as we explore love, affection and connection in all its guises.

Gallery Two

Grant (No. 3 of Robert, Lindy, Grant)

Costa Georgiadis wins the National Portrait Gallery’s People’s Portrait

In 2024, the National Portrait Gallery took the extraordinary step of inviting the Australian public to choose the subject of its next commission. Twenty-five years after the Gallery’s first commission – the iconic Nick Cave by Howard Arkley – and nearly 90 commissions later, the people of Australia were invited to make their voice heard. Who did the public most want to see represented in their National Portrait Gallery?

Inner Worlds

Portraits of Australia’s pioneering psychologists and artworks by artists fascinated by the subconscious mind.

Glossy - Faces Magazines Now

Magazines are the portrait galleries of the 90s... Glossy is about magazines. The exhibition presents the work of eight photographers, Australian by birth or long-term residency, who are producing portraits for publication in magazines around the world.

Neil Finn and Paul Hester, 1987 (printed 2021)

Gift of the artist 2021

Kylie Minogue, 1999

Purchased 2000

Guy Pearce, 2000 (printed 2004)

Purchased 2005

Headspace 7

Headspace 7: Me and My Place, the seventh in the National Portrait Gallery's series of student exhibitions, will be presented at Commonwealth Place. Me and My Place is the curatorial theme for the 2006 exhibition.

Proof

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.

Steve Kilbey, 1981 (printed 2018)

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2018

Kylie Minogue 2, 2018 (printed 2020)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2020

Kylie Minogue 1, 2018 (printed 2020)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2020

Untitled #15 (Kylie Minogue performs at Tour of Duty concert at Dili Stadium, East Timor, 21 December 1999), 1999-2000

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2010. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Untitled #88 (Captain Brad Kilpatrick and Kylie Minogue, Balibo, East Timor, 20 December 1999), 1999

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2010. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Australia and the Nobel Prize

This unique exhibition will give an insight into the private lives, pursuits and work of all the Nobel laureates associated with Australia

Oz Punk

In 1976, without having been blooded on the Sydney or Melbourne pub circuit, The Saints recorded a single – ‘(I’m) Stranded’ – earning them the distinction of releasing a punk single before The Sex Pistols did.

Face the music

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.

National arts and history? Yes, please

Recent research shows that two thirds of all Australians have a sterling interest in the arts and Australian history. This is just one of the promising findings to arise from the National Portrait Gallery’s commissioned snapshot of its national brand awareness, via a nationally representative survey.

Robert, Lindy, Grant, 1981

Purchased 2002

Mysterious eyes

Boyd’s self-portrait at age 25 is joined by his equally emotive portraits of those around him.

Oz Elsewhere

While the blues-inspired hard guitar riffs of Australian pub rock were shaping tastes, a number of artists were developing music primed for success on the international stage.

Michael Hutchence, 1997

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

George Spartels, early 1970s

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2019

A serious man

Alistair McGhie discusses Andrew MacColl's portrait photograph of Australian comedian Mick Molloy.

On commission

Former NPG Director Andrew Sayers discusses the art of commissioning portraits.

Darling Portrait Prize 2024

The Darling Portrait Prize is a biennial national prize for Australian portrait painting honouring the legacy of Mr L Gordon Darling AC CMG.

Golden Jubilee

Polly Borland's photograph of The Queen was commissioned by Buckingham Palace as part of a series of high profile celebrations to mark the Golden Jubilee.

Living Memory – National Photographic Portrait Prize extended to January 2022

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.

Making Portraits

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

The Story So Far...

A reflection on the National Portrait Gallery's first four years.

Australian Love Stories

A major new exhibition celebrating love in all its guises. Opening 20 March 2021.

Australian Visit

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.

Announcing... Pub Rock

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.

Portrait Donors

Andrew Campbell

An interview with the photographer.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2022

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.

Harriet Schwarzrock: spaces between movement and stillness

To celebrate the new exhibition Australian Love Stories, renowned Australian glass artist Harriet Schwarzrock has been commissioned to make a large-scale installation reflecting on the role the heart plays as our emotional centre.

Australian of the Year

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

Uncommon Australians

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.

Portrait of a patron

A new painting by Jiawei Shen captures the vision and resolve of the Gallery's founder, L. Gordon Darling AC CMG.

The National Portrait Prizes

The National Portrait Gallery today announced finalists for the inaugural Darling Portrait Prize, a national new $75,000 prize for Australian portrait painting, and released selected images from the final prize pool for the popular National Photography Portrait Prize.

Spring exhibition program

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

Winning in technicolor

Alistair McGhie writes about the portraits of three of Australia's top professional cyclists: Cadel Evans, Stuart O'Grady and Robbie McEwen painted by Matthys Gerber.

Announcing... Jonathan Jones Bogong Cluster: Physically distant, socially connected

A new light installation by Jonathan Jones reflects on the importance of community through the lens of his Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi heritage, whilst also acting as a prompt for gallery visitors to maintain social distancing.

Coming into being

Dr Christopher Chapman, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2018 Prize.

Boyd to man

Christopher Chapman looks at influences and insight in the formative years of Arthur Boyd.

The story of us

Gallery directors Karen Quinlan and Tony Ellwood talk to Penelope Grist about the NPG and NGV collaborative exhibition, Who Are You: Australian Portraiture.

The art of Inner Worlds

Dr Christopher Chapman NPG Curator of Inner Worlds explains the development of an exhibition that spans from Surrealism to contemporary art.

Cool cool world

Penelope Grist unpacks photographs by David Parker, who captured the phenomenal emergence of the 1970s and 80s Melbourne music scene.

Speed demon

Scott Redford discusses his dynamic portrait commission of motorcycling champion and 2008 Young Australian of the Year Casey Stoner.

In profile

Polly Borland talks to Oliver Giles about the celebrity portraits that made her name and why she’s now making more abstract art.

The look and the feel

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

In the galleries

Christopher Chapman highlights the inaugural hang of the new National Portrait Gallery building which opened in December 2008.

An Australian story

In his speech launching the new National Portrait Gallery building on 3 December 2008, then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd set the Gallery in a national and historical context.

Beyond the bow tie

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

Uncommon Australians

Sarah Engledow writes about Gordon and Marilyn Darling and their support for the National Portrait Gallery throughout its evolution.

Rock art

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.

Illuminating history

Joanna Gilmour reflects on 25 years of collecting at the National Portrait Gallery.

History

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

Listomania

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.

Naked nostalgia

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

You are who?

Joanna Gilmour reflects on merging collections and challenging traditional assumptions around portraiture in WHO ARE YOU.