Search / robert black

Portrait, oil on canvas laid on composition board

Robert Hughes Black ED MD DTM&H Dip Anth FRACP (1917-1988) was a world authority on malaria and Professor of Tropical Medicine in the Commonwealth Institute of Health, University of Sydney, for twenty years.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert H. Black MD, c. 1950

Nora Heysen AM

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 1999. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Sidney Nolan and Robert Helpmann at Bonython Gallery, Adelaide Arts Festival

Sidney Nolan and Robert Helpmann at Bonython Gallery, Adelaide Arts Festival, c. 1964 (printed 2015)

Robert Dunkarton after Sir Thomas Lawrence

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

Robert Earl of Buckinghamshire (Hobart), 1808

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Robert Dessaix, 1998

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Robert Dessaix 2000
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Robert Hunter, July 1978, 1978 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Robert Grieve

Robert Grieve (1924-2006), painter and printmaker, exhibited in Melbourne in 1948 before leaving for Europe and England, where he studied lithography at the Regent Polytechnic.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Kermode

'Looking deep within the eye of a person'

Robert Quayle Kermode (1812-1870), politician, was born on the Isle of Man and educated at Castletown.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Fielding

Portrait story

Robert Fielding on capturing the beauty and the essence of his people.

Robert Oatley AO

1928–2016

The National Portrait Gallery mourns the loss of one our most generous benefactors, Robert Oatley AO.

Robert Hannaford AM

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

Robert Bénard

Robert Bénard engraved, or directed the engraving of, at least 1800 plates for Diderot's groundbreaking Encyclopédie, published between 1751 and 1772.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Rooney, self portrait December 1978

Robert Rooney, self portrait December 1978, 1978 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Robert Rooney

Robert Rooney (1937-2017), painter, conceptual artist and photographer, studied at Swinburne Technical college from 1954 to 1957.

17 portraits in the collection

Robert di Pierdomenico

Robert Di Pierdomenico (b. 1958), the 'Big Dipper', began his career with the Hawthorn Football Club in 1975, but remained obscure until the Grand Final of September 30, 1978, when he gathered 15 kicks, shot out six handpasses and took six marks to be named best on ground.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir Robert Gibson

Sir Robert Gibson GBE (1863-1934) trained in design and drafting in Glasgow, where he began work as a designer at an iron company; he soon became manager of its London office.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Dodd

Robert Dodd, a leading painter of maritime and military subjects, lived and worked in Wapping, London.

2 portraits in the collection

Robert Rosen

Robert Rosen is a portrait photographer who took thousands of snaps of the tawdry Sydney social scene of the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

2 portraits in the collection

Robert Ross

Robert Ross (1792–1862), clergyman, studied medicine in his native Edinburgh before being ordained into the Church of Scotland in 1818.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert T. Carter

Robert Thomas Carter (1843–1917) was a leading Sydney cabinetmaker and furniture warehouseman, and later an antique dealer.

2 portraits 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

Robert Dunkarton

Robert Dunkarton, engraver and portrait painter, served his apprenticeship with mezzotint engraver William Pether.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Neill

Robert Neill arrived in Van Diemen’s Land from Edinburgh in 1820 with his free-settler parents and two siblings.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Hobart

Robert Hobart, fourth Earl of Buckinghamshire (1760–1816), statesman, was a soldier in the war against the American colonies and served as aide-de-camp to several lord lieutenants of Ireland before becoming Chief Secretary for Ireland from 1789 to 1793.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Forster

Robert Forster wrote The Go-Betweens' first recorded songs, 'Lee Remick' and 'Karen', of which they pressed about 500 copies, distributing them themselves.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Hunter

Robert Hunter (1947-2014), painter, trained at Preston Technical College and RMIT from 1964 to 1967, and was deeply impressed by the work of American abstractionist Ad Reinhardt in Melbourne in 1967.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Fielding

Robert Fielding (b. 1969) is a contemporary artist of Pakistani, Afghan, Western Arrente and Yankunytjatjara descent, who lives in Mimili Community in the remote Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands.

24 portraits in the collection

Lord Robert May OM KBE FRS FAA

Robert May, Baron May of Oxford OM AC (1936–2020), physicist, chemical engineer, chemist, ecologist and mathematician, once described himself as a ‘scientist with a short attention span.’ Born and educated in Sydney, where he received his PhD in experimental physics in 1959, he lectured at Harvard, Sydney and Princeton before taking up a joint professorship at Imperial College London and Oxford.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir Robert Helpmann CBE

Sir Robert Helpmann CBE (1909–1986) was a dancer, actor and choreographer.

3 portraits in the collection

Sir Robert Menzies KT AK CH LLM QC

Rt Hon. Sir Robert Gordon Menzies KT AK CH PC QC (1894-1978) was Prime Minister of Australia for a record total of 19 years: from 1939 to 1941 and 1949 to 1966.

9 portraits in the collection

Robert Dessaix

Robert Dessaix (b. 1944) is a Hobart–based writer, translator and literary critic.

2 portraits in the collection

Robert McFarlane

Robert McFarlane (1942–2023), photographer, was born in Glenelg, South Australia.

31 portraits in the collection

Robert Drewe

Robert Drewe (b. 1943), author, grew up in Perth, where he worked as a junior reporter with the West Australian from 1961 to 1964.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Hughes AO

Robert Hughes AO (1938-2012) was the senior art critic for Time magazine and one of Australia’s famous expatriates of the 1960s.

5 portraits in the collection

Robert Klippel AO

Robert Klippel AO (1920–2001) is considered by some to be the most significant sculptor Australia has yet produced.

5 portraits in the collection

Dr Robert (Bob) Edwards AO

Dr Robert (Bob) Edwards AO (1930-2023) made a remarkable contribution to the cultural sector in Australia.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert W. Pohlman

Robert Williams Pohlman (1811–1877), judge, arrived in Melbourne in 1840 and with his brother acquired a sheep station, Darlington (later Glenhope), near Kyneton.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Jacks AO

Robert Jacks AO (1943–2014) is acknowledged as one of Australia's leading abstract artists.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Manne AO

Robert Manne (b. 1947), academic and writer, grew up in Melbourne, the child of European Jewish refugees.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Adamson

Robert Adamson (1943–2022), poet and publisher, divided his childhood between Neutral Bay and the Hawkesbury River, where his grandfather lived.

2 portraits in the collection

Robert Campbell Jnr

Robert Campbell Junior, urban Aboriginal artist, was a Ngaku/Dhunghutti man who grew up in Kempsey, New South Wales.

1 portrait in the collection

Mr Robert Oatley AO

Robert Oatley AO (1928–2016), businessman, was one of Australia’s most successful wine industry figures.

Robert Brown

Robert Brown (1773–1858) is considered ‘the father of Australian botany’.

2 portraits in the collection

Robert Drewe

Recorded 1977

Robert Helpmann

Recorded 1964

Robert Adamson

Recorded 1975

Robert Klippel

Recorded 1965

Ben, 2015

by Robert Hague

Robert Fielding

Recorded 2022

Oliver Cromwell

Robert Walker

Magazine article by Robert Cook, 2018

Snap decisions

NPPP judge Robert Cook provides irreverent insight into this year’s fare, and having to be a bit judgemental.

Self portrait

Sir Robert Ponsonby Staples

Sir Robert Ponsonby Staples, third son of Sir Nathaniel Staples, Bt, was born in Northern Ireland, educated in Belgium, and studied architecture and art in Louvain, Dresden, Paris and London.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Emerson Curtis

Robert Emerson Curtis (1898-1996) was an illustrator and painter who arrived in Sydney from England in 1924.

2 portraits in the collection

Robert Henderson Croll

Robert Henderson Croll (1869-1947), author, worked as a clerk in the Victorian public service for over 40 years, but is better remembered for his books and journalism.

2 portraits in the collection

Robert O'Hara Burke

Robert O'Hara Burke (1821-1861), explorer, came to Australia in 1853 and joined the Victorian police force.

4 portraits in the collection

Governor Sir Robert Duff with Lady Duff, Lord Hopetoun and Vice-Regal Party

Sir Robert William Duff

Sir Robert William Duff (1835–1895) was governor of New South Wales from May 1893 until March 1895.

2 portraits in the collection

James Robert M. Robertson

James Robert M. Robertson (1844-1932), mining engineer and coal magnate, was the son of a Scottish surgeon and colliery owner, and qualified in medicine himself before opting for a career in mining.

1 portrait in the collection

Robert Hughes, 1996

Rex Dupain

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

Robert Hannaford, 2005

R. Ian Lloyd

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of R. Ian Lloyd 2010
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Robert Haines, n.d.

Gift of Danina Dupain Anderson 2018. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Sir Robert Menzies, c. 1966

Les Tanner

Portrait, cast plaster

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Emeritus Professor Colin A Hughes 2015

Guy Stuart, January 1979, 1979 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Leo McKern as Dad Rudd, 1994 (printed 2020)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2020

Reg Grundy, c. 1988 (printed 2017)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Illuwanti Ken, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Tim Flannery, 2006

Gift of Professor Tim Flannery 2016. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Reg Livermore, Pitt Street, Sydney, 1965 (printed 2020)

Purchased 2020

Princess Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia and Electress Palatine

Robert Peake the Elder

Magazine article by Rebecca Ray, 2022

Unpacked

Rebecca Ray reflects on Robert Fielding’s Mayatjara series, honouring songlines and intergenerational knowedge.

Wylie, 1840-1841

Robert Neill

Portrait, steel engraving with later hand-colouring on paper

Purchased 2018

Tim Flannery by Robert Hannaford

'The space around'

Portrait story

Tim Flannery and artist Robert Hannaford discuss the creation of Tim's portrait.

James Robert Millar Robertson, 1926

W.A. Bowring

Gift of the descendants of James Robert Millar Robertson 2011

Sir Robert Menzies, c. 1952

Portrait, fibre-tipped pen and ink on paper

Gift of Mrs Lily Kahan 2017. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Sir Robert Garran, 1922

Bernard Hall

Gift of John Garran 2019. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Robert Kermode, c. 1840

Henry Mundy

Purchased 2008. The original frame for this work was donated to the National Portrait Gallery of Australia by the National Gallery of Victoria 2009.

Captain R.C. Morgan, Missionary ship 'John Williams'

Captain Robert Clark Morgan

Captain Robert Clark Morgan (1798-1864), Christian mariner, whaler and diarist, entered the Royal Navy at the age of eleven, leaving at sixteen for the merchant marine and beginning a career in whaling, a pursuit he relished.

1 portrait in the collection

Portrait of Robert Klippel, 1980

Yvonne Audette AM

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Robert 'Twogun' Rosen, 1994

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

Robert Klippel, 1979

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper

Purchased 1998

Robert Klippel, 1993

Portrait, pastel on paper

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Robert Klippel, c. 1990

Rosemary Madigan

Purchased 2020

Sir Robert Helpmann, c. 1965 (printed 2015)

Jozef Vissel

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Jozef Vissel 2015

Sir Robert May AC KT, 1999

Polly Borland

Portrait, cast bronze medallion on wood plaque

Purchased 2001

Sir Robert Menzies, 1985

Andor Meszaros

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Ray Marginson AM 2001

Robert Klippel, Birchgrove, Sydney, 1969 (printed 2000)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
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

Robert Edwards, 2009

John Elliott

Commissioned with funds provided by Art Exhibitions Australia 2009

Robert Emerson Curtis, 1943

Portrait, oil on masonite

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Richard King 2008
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Robert Jacks, 1961-1962

Charina Oeser

Gift of the artist 2021

Robert Hughes, 1962

Purchased 1998

Robert Helpmann, 1969

Portrait, montage of gelatin silver photographs on paper

Purchased 1998

Robert Hughes, 1962

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1998

Robert Drewe (in the swell), 2006

Nicholas Harding

Purchased 2010

"Poet of the Hawkesbury" Robert Adamson, 2012

Geoffrey Dyer

Gift of the artist 2013. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Robert Lowe, Viscount Sherbrooke

Robert Lowe, Viscount Sherbrooke (1811-1892), politician, studied and tutored in law at Oxford before coming to Australia in 1842.

4 portraits in the collection

Robert Menzies, Sydney, 1963 (printed 2000)

Portrait, watercolour and gouache on paper

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.

Sketch for Prime Minister Robert Menzies

Sketch for Prime Minister Robert Menzies, 1960

Sir William Dobell OBE

Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 1999

Sir Robert Gibson, 1934

Paul Montford

Portrait, cast bronze on granite base

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of The Australian Industry Group 2012

Robert Hughes - Nothing if not critical, 2001

Bill Leak

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2002

Small Holdings (The Earl Carrington Baron Charles Robert Carrington)

Charles Robert Wynn-Carrington

Charles Robert Wynn-Carrington (1843–1928), 1st Marquess of Lincolnshire, landowner and Liberal politician, was governor of New South Wales in the late 1880s.

2 portraits in the collection

Ming Vase (Sir Robert Menzies), c. 1970

Les Tanner, Gus McLaren

Portrait, glazed ceramic

Purchased 2004

Robert Di Pierdomenico "Dipper", 1986

Rennie Ellis

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2006

Robert Menzies, Lancaster House, London, 1956 (printed 2000)

Rt Hon. Sir Robert Menzies, c. 1962

Victor Greenhalgh

Portrait, cast bronze

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Lady Bunting in honour of Sir John Bunting and the Menzies Foundation 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Robert Grieve, n.d.

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on grey cardboard

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mrs Lily Kahan 2006
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Robert Carter, c. 1910

William Johnson

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the family of FW Macpherson 2012

Robert Fitzgerald, c. 1860s (printed c. 1890s)

Portrait, albumen silver photograph

Gift in memory of Richard Kelynack Evans 2010. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Robert Dessaix, 2004

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2006

Robert Manne, 2012

Dave Tacon

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Sir Robert Menzies, c. 1963-1964

Portrait, colour process lithograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2014

Robert Gray, 1978

Christine Godden

Portrait, offset lithograph on mountboard/card

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2017

Robert Holmes a Court, c. 1984

Joe Greenberg

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2001

Poet Robert Adamson at Parsley Bay, 2008

Portrait, watercolour on card

Purchased 2008

Robert Lowe (Viscount Sherbrooke), n.d.

Sem

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Lindy Lee - Birth and Death, 2006

by Robert Scott-Mitchell

Bruce Beresford on location, c. 1981 (printed 2004)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2003

Lost in thought, 2008

by Quentin Jones

Jenny Watson 4, February 1979, 1979 (printed 2012)

Purchased 2012

Judy Annear, 1980, 1980 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Kiffy Rubbo 2, 1979, 1979 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Janine Burke, c. 1980, 1980 (printed 2012)

Portrait, oil on canvas on board

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Mary Ware, c. 1854

Robert Dowling

Purchased with funds provided by Mary Isabel Murphy and Rosalind Blair Murphy 2014

Gary Catalano 2, 1980, 1980 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Paul Partos 1, 1980, 1980 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Peter Booth 3, September 1978, 1978 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

John Nixon 1, January 1979, 1979 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Meredith Rogers, September 1978, 1978 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Dale Hickey 2, March 1979, 1979 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Bruce Pollard 2, 1979, 1979 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Paul Taylor 1, 1984, 1984 (printed 2012)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Gordon Chater, c. 1993 (printed 2017)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Esben Storm, 1989 (printed 2017)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Christine Stead, 1976 (printed 2017)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Katharine Brisbane, 1982 (printed 2017)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Moffatt Oxenbould, c. 1997 (printed 2017)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Greta Scacchi, 1992 (printed 2017)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Marilyn Rowe, c. 1975 (printed 2017)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

John Newcombe, 1976 (printed 2017)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Judy Davis with director John Duigan in 'Winter of our Dreams'

Judy Davis with director John Duigan in 'Winter of our Dreams', 1981 (printed 2017)

Purchased 2017

Ingrid Treacle, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Rita Rolley, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Maringka Burton, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Kathy Maringka, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Betty Muffler, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Sammy Dodd, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Mary Katatjuku Pan, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Linda Puna, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Hughie Cullinan, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Stanley Douglas, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Litja Brown, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Taylor Cooper, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Imatjala Curley, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Tiger Yaltangki, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Alec Baker, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Puna Yanima, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Alexander Maurice Ramsay, 1978

Gift of Janet, Andrew, Kathryn and Eleanor Ramsay, daughters and son of Alexander Maurice Ramsay and Amy Jane Ramsay 2010. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Robyn Archer, 1982

Purchased 2003

Charles Perkins on bus to Tranby Aboriginal College, Glebe

Charles Perkins on bus to Tranby Aboriginal College, Glebe, c. 1964 (printed 2015)

Purchased 1999

Kate Fitzpatrick, 1978 (printed 2017)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Nigel Butterley, Composer, 1977 (printed 2021)

Portrait, synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Purchased with funds provided by Tim Bednall 2021

Senator Bonner, 1990

Robert Campbell Jnr

Purchased with funds provided by Tim Fairfax AC 2008

Charles Perkins on bus to Tranby Aboriginal College, Glebe, c. 1964 (printed 2003)

Magazine article by Diana Warnes, 2016

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2013. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Anatomist's eye

Robert Hannaford has completed around 400 portraits over the span of his career.

Richard Walsh, Editor OZ magazine at the Hunter Street offices

Richard Walsh, Editor OZ magazine at the Hunter Street offices, c. 1966 (printed 2021)

Magazine article by Yvonne Audette AM, 2005

Purchased with funds provided by Tim Bednall 2021

A bond of friendship

Australia's major abstract painter Yvonne Audette discusses her portrait of sculptor Robert Kippel.

Bob Croll of the AAA Vic., 1916

David Low

Portrait, pencil, pen and ink on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2008

Howard Arkley 1, 1980 (printed 2012)

Purchased 2012

Lloyd Rees, 1973

Robert Walker

Purchased 1999

Nick Enright, c. 1976 (printed 2004)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2003

Barrie Kosky, Sydney Opera House, c. 1997 (printed 2017)

Purchased 2017

Glenn Murcutt, 1980 (printed 2017)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Jeff Carter with his dog Annie Rose at Foxground NSW

Jeff Carter with his dog Annie Rose at Foxground NSW, 2000 (printed 2017)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Lowitja O'Donoghue, 2006

Portrait, aquatint engraving on paper

Commissioned with funds donated by BHP Billiton Limited, Rio Tinto Aboriginal Fund, Newmont Australia Limited, Reconciliation Australia, Hon Paul Keating and Hon Fred Chaney 2006

The Mutineers turning Lieut Bligh and part of the Officers and Crew adrift from His Majesty's Ship the Bounty

The Mutineers turning Lieut Bligh and part of the Officers and Crew adrift from His Majesty's Ship the Bounty, 1790

Robert Dodd

Purchased with funds provided by the Ian Potter Foundation 2008

Part of the crew of His Majesty's Ship Guardian endeavouring to escape in the boats

Part of the crew of His Majesty's Ship Guardian endeavouring to escape in the boats, 1790

Robert Dodd

Portrait, aquatint on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Jeremiah Ware, c. 1854

Robert Dowling

Portrait, oil on board

Purchased with funds provided by Mary Isabel Murphy and Rosalind Blair Murphy 2014

Robert (No. 1 of Robert, Lindy, Grant)

An interview with Nicholas Harding

Robert Drewe

Portrait story

Artist Nicholas Harding talks about what was captured in his portrait of Robert Drewe.

Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool

Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl Liverpool, Lord Hawkesbury (1770–1828), statesman, was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827.

2 portraits in the collection

Robert Brown, 1850

Thomas Herbert Maguire

Portrait, carte de visite photograph

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2013

Robert Lowe, Viscount Sherbrooke, 1870

Elliott and Fry

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Mr and Mrs R. T. Carter, c. 1863

Milligan Bros (Studio)

Portrait, ambrotype, hand coloured on glass plate with black paint backing

Gift of Mr and Mrs James Bain 2000. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Professor John Bishop, c. 1963 (printed 2018)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2018

June Dally Watkins, c. 1968 (printed 2017)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Dame Joan Sutherland, c. 1977

Portrait, oil on board

Gift of William Bowmore AO OBE 2003. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke, c. 1976 (printed 2017)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Kunmanara (Ngilan) Dodd, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Tuppy Ngintja Goodwin, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Betty Kuntiwa Pumani, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Yaritji Tjingila Young, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Matjangka Nyukana Norris, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Nyurpaya Kaika Burton OAM, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

Mantuwa Tjungarra George, 2021

Purchased with funds provided by the Annual Appeal for Contemporary Australian Photography 2022

R O'Hara Burke, c. 1861

De Gruchy & Leigh

Tom Durkin, The Weekly Times

Purchased 2009

A County Court Judge "Sober as a Judge" [Judge Pohlman], 1874

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2016

Le Cap.ne Jacques Cook, Membre de la Société Royale des Londres

Le Cap.ne Jacques Cook, Membre de la Société Royale des Londres, c. 1778

Robert Bénard

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2008

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Gina and Ted Gregg 2010

Black tie or wombat: How formal should I go?

Michael Desmond discusses the portrait of Senator Neville Bonner by Robert Campbell Jnr.

Robert Henderson Croll, 1927

Frederick George Reynolds

Portrait, oil on canvas on board

Gift of Grietje Croll in memory of her late husband Robert Devereaux Croll and with the endorsement of his daughter Helen Croll 2013. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Robert O'Hara Burke, c. 1860

Melbourne and Sydney Photographic Co

Portrait, albumen paper carte de visite

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2001

Clem Seale and Robert Emerson Curtis, c. 1944

Dario Castellini after Carlo Liverati

Purchased with funds provided by Timothy Fairfax AC 2003

Robert Brown, c. 1835

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2014

Colin Madigan and Robert Hughes, Canberra

Colin Madigan and Robert Hughes, Canberra, 1982 (printed 2000)

John Cochran after Henry Room

Reverend Robert Ross MD, Sydney, New South Wales, n.d.

Magazine article by Magda Keaney, 2002

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Ted and Gina Gregg 2012

Heart of Darkness

Magda Keaney talks with Bill Leak about his bold new portrait of Robert Hughes in the National Portrait Gallery collection.

Norman O'Neill and Bill Lawry coming out to bat for Australia vs South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground

Norman O'Neill and Bill Lawry coming out to bat for Australia vs South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground, 1964 (printed 2018)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2018

Sidney Nolan and Patrick White, Adelaide Arts Festival

Sidney Nolan and Patrick White, Adelaide Arts Festival, c. 1964 (printed 2015)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

Edward 'Weary' Dunlop, River Kwai, Thailand

Edward 'Weary' Dunlop, River Kwai, Thailand, c. 1987 (printed 2003)

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2013. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Maria Kozic and Philip Brophy 1, 1981, 1981 (printed 2012)

Magazine article by Diana Warnes, 2007

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Cook in context

Robert Oatley's continuing benefaction has helped the National Portrait Gallery acquire works that add another layer to the story of Captain Cook.

The Quiet Australian

Magazine article by Brian Dale, 2001

Robert Oatley talks about the repatriation of the John Webber portrait of Captain James Cook.

Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1842

Frederick Bromley after Robert Frain

Daniel Orme after Robert Dighton

Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2008

Portrait of Captain John Hunter, 1792

Portrait, stipple engraving on paper

Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2008

Fetteresso (Sir Robert Duff), 1883

Francois Verheyden, Vanity Fair Magazine

John Cochran after Henry Room

Purchased 2015

Captain R.C. Morgan, Missionary ship 'John Williams', n.d.

Magazine article by Yvonne Audette AM, 2005

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Gina and Ted Gregg 2010

Meeting by Murder

The story behind two colonial portraits; a lithograph of captain and convict John Knatchbull and newspaper illustration of Robert Lowe, Viscount Sherbrooke.

The importance of being bearded

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2012

Joanna Gilmour discovers that the beards of the ill-fated explorers Burke and Wills were as epic as their expedition to traverse Australia from south to north.

Australia v England, 1887

Goupil & Cie after Sir Robert Ponsonby Staples, George Barrable

Portrait, photogravure on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2009

Robert, Lindy, Grant, 1981

Portrait, oil on canvas board (triptych)

Purchased 2002

Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, 1827

Charles Turner after Sir Thomas Lawrence

Sir Leslie Ward, Vanity Fair Magazine

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2015

Small Holdings (The Earl Carrington Baron Charles Robert Carrington), 1907

Carlo Pellegrini, Vanity Fair Magazine

Gift of Ronald Walker 2002

Charlie (Lord Charles Robert Carrington)

Charlie (Lord Charles Robert Carrington), 1874

Carlo Pellegrini, Vanity Fair Magazine

Purchased 2013

Statesmen No. 4 "An enemy to democracy, yet a professor of liberal principles, which tend to democracy; the combination will one day make him Prime Minister of England" (Viscount Robert Lowe), 1869

Portrait, colour lithograph on paper

Gift of Leo Schofield AM 2005

Statesmen, No. 4 "An enemy to democracy, yet a professor liberal principles, which tend to democracy; the combination will one day make him Prime Minister of England" (Viscount Robert Lowe), 1869

Carlo Pellegrini, Vanity Fair Magazine

Portrait, albumen paper photograph on carte de visite

Purchased 2013

The Burke and Wills Monument, 1869

Thomas Foster Chuck

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2001

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.

Baron Ferdinand von Mueller, c. 1890

Charles Troedel after Robert Wendel

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2013

Governor Sir Robert Duff with Lady Duff, Lord Hopetoun and Vice-Regal Party, 1893

Kerry & Co

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2014

Cultural kaleidoscope

Edward Scriven, J B Ball & J DeCamp after Sir Thomas Lawrence

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

Rt. Honourable Lord Hawkesbury, 1808

Henry Samuel Sadd, Fergusson & Mitchell, Melbourne after Thomas Adams Hill

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Ted and Gina Gregg 2012

Robert O'Hara Burke, Leader of the Victorian Expedition

Robert O'Hara Burke, Leader of the Victorian Expedition, 1860-1861

Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2007

Graham Kennedy and the Seekers in Melbourne

Graham Kennedy and the Seekers in Melbourne, c. 1968

Robert Whitaker

Henry Meyer, T Cadell & W Davies after Sir Thomas Lawrence, William Evans

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2007

The Rt Hon. Henry Robert Stewart, Lord Viscount Castlereagh, MRIA & FRS

The Rt Hon. Henry Robert Stewart, Lord Viscount Castlereagh, MRIA & FRS, 1814

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Ted and Gina Gregg 2012

Stephen and Russell Page, 1993 (printed 2011)

Robert Rosen

Gift of Robert Rosen 2012

Charles Perkins with Eileen Perkins, 1964 (printed 2021)

Purchased with funds provided by Tim Bednall 2021

Painting writing

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2009

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

Fits of delicacy and despair

Henry Mundy's portraits flesh out notions of propriety and good taste in a convict colony.

Bob Ansett Robert Ansett

Portrait, watercolour, crayon, coloured pencil, gouache and felt-tipped pen on paper

Australian-born but schooled in the United States, he returned to Australia in 1965 to start the Budget Rent a Car System.

1 portrait in the collection

Bob Ansett, Budget,

Joe Greenberg

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2001

Black Gold

The Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame

Previous exhibition, 2001

Reflecting the breadth and diversity of Aboriginal and Islander achievement within and beyond the world of sport, this exhibition tells the little known tales of triumph over adversity.

Art, war, scandal

Mayatjara by Robert Fielding

In Gallery One

Previous exhibition, 2022

The series captures Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Traditional Owners and custodians, respected and significant leaders, advocates and artists within the communities of the APY Lands.

Albert Jonas and John Xiniwe of The African Choir, 1891 London Stereoscopic Co.

Back in black

Magazine article by Krysia Kitch, 2017

Krysia Kitch reviews black chronicles at the National Portrait Gallery, London.

The Triumph of Death, c. 1562 by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

The Black Death

The best horror stories are real. A flea sinks its proboscis into the skin of a sick black rat, feeds on its blood, and ingests lethally multiplying bacteria.

Robert, 2010

by CJ Taylor

All there in black and white

The National Portrait Gallery acquired a beguiling silhouette group portrait by Samuel Metford, an English artist who spent periods of his working life in America.

Single parent Robert Smith-Goode, housing commission flats, 2009

by Jenny Hodge

Portrait of Truganini, daughter of the Chief of Bruny Island, Van Diemens Land, c. 1835

Black and white history

Sir Leslie Ward, Vanity Fair Magazine

English artist Benjamin Duterrau took up the cause of the Indigenous peoples of Tasmania with his detailed and sympathetic renderings.

The Demon bowler (Frederick Robert Spofforth)

The Demon bowler (Frederick Robert Spofforth), 1878

Sir Leslie Ward, Vanity Fair Magazine

Purchased 2002

The Demon bowler (Frederick Robert Spofforth), 1878

Purchased 2015

Nothing black and white about the Greys

It's Complicated

Marriage: a prolonged disaster

Black Tracker

Mia Boe

Black Tracker

Mia Boe

Black Tracker

Mia Boe

The black coat: Lily Brett, 1989

David Rankin OAM

Gift of Dr Gene Sherman AM and Brian Sherman AM 2012. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

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

'Red Terra' - Black Activist: A portrait of Gary Foley, 2006

by Rod McNicol

Creature from the Black Platoon starring Gary Foley 2011

Creature from the Black Platoon starring Gary Foley 2011, 2011

TextaQueen

Purchased 2011

Lowitja O’Donoghue

Recorded 2015

The Mourners, 2011

by Georgia Metaxas

Serenity

Forough Yavari

Immediately, there was a crackle

It's Complicated

A meeting of minds

Lost, 2018

by Jay Hynes

Stranded under a fire-red sky

Justin McManus

Aubrey Beardsley

Frederick Henry Evans

Percy Spence

Percy Spence, born in Balmain, grew up in Fiji and began art classes in Sydney in about 1888.

1 portrait in the collection

Lindy (No. 2 of Robert, Lindy, Grant)

Bob Maza

Bob Maza (1939-2000), actor, playwright and activist, was born on Palm Island in North Queensland.

1 portrait in the collection

Elizabeth Sarah Ellen Carter

Previous exhibition, 2016

Elizabeth Sarah Ellen Carter (née Hill, 1845-1927) was one of the eight children born to Sydney cabinetmaker and undertaker John Hill jnr and his wife Elizabeth - the step-daughter of ex-convict boatman, John Cadman.

1 portrait in the collection

Tough & Tender

Art by Warwick Baker, Chris Burden, Larry Clark, Rozalind Drummond, Nan Goldin, Robert Mapplethorpe and Collier Schorr explores personal relations, individual expression and fluid identity.

Portrait 54

Spring 2016

Explore an Indian treasure trove, photography by Robert McFarlane and Nan Goldin, Michael Taylor's expressionist paintings, the Great War portraits, and more!

Douglas Kirkland

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, black ink on paper

Douglas Kirkland, photographer, was born in Canada and started his career on small newspapers there.

1 portrait in the collection

Miscellaneous Obsessions #1, My Living Room, Bondi

Miscellaneous Obsessions #1, My Living Room, Bondi, 2000

William Yang

Purchased 2022

William, Randwick, 1975/2008

William Yang, Melody Cooper

Portrait, inkjet print, black and purple ink on paper

Purchased 2022

William in Scholar's Costume, 1984/2008

William Yang, Yensoon Tsai

Portrait, inkjet print, black and purple ink on paper

Purchased 2022

Self Portrait #1, 1992/2007

William Yang

Portrait, inkjet print, black ink on paper

Purchased 2022

My Family in Front of Our Old Home, 1992

William Yang

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, black ink on paper

Purchased 2022

Bill Leak

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

Bruce Pollard

Bruce Pollard (b. 1936), gallerist, established the Pinocotheca Gallery in a St Kilda mansion in 1967, and relocated it to an old hat factory in Richmond in 1970.

1 portrait in the collection

David Roberts

Previous exhibition, 2007

Melbourne-based photographer David Roberts was born in Forest City, Iowa, and graduated from Iowa State University with an honours degree in philosophy.

4 portraits in the collection

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2007

Photography is the most pervasive and popular medium for portraiture and makes a natural fit with the Gallery, being a natural extension of the Gallery's longstanding commitment to photography as a contemporary portrait medium.

Sir Walter Crocker, 1995

Meredith Russell

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Robert Crocker 2003

Bungaree, late chief of the Broken Bay tribe, Sydney

Bungaree, late chief of the Broken Bay tribe, Sydney, 1836

Sir Douglas Mawson Kt OBE FRS, Heinemann, London

Gift of Dr Robert Edwards AO 1999. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

The Home of the Blizzard: being the story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914 (2 volumes), 1915

Portrait, two volumes illustrated with colour and black and white plates, three folding maps

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2018

Study for commissioned portrait of HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark (full-length study)

Study for commissioned portrait of HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark (full-length study), 2005

Jiawei Shen

Portrait, black pastel on brown paper

Commissioned with funds provided by Mary Isabel Murphy 2005

Portrait 24

June - August 2007

Portrait, coloured chalk and black ink on artist board

This issue of Portrait Magazine features Robert Hannaford, Walter Lindrum, John Brack, judicial portraits, Vincent Lingiari and more.

Sir Ernest Thomas Fisk, 1943-1944

Charles Wheeler

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2019

She Fell Asleep During the Movie, 2006

by Grant Hawkes

Nora Heysen with her dog sitting outside her home, Hunters Hill, Sydney

Nora Heysen AM

Portrait, coloured chalk with black ink highlight on artist board

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

His Royal Highness Prince Henry William Frederick Albert, Duke of Gloucester (Governor General of Australia)

His Royal Highness Prince Henry William Frederick Albert, Duke of Gloucester (Governor General of Australia), 1943-1944

Charles Wheeler

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2019

Self portrait

Doris Zinkeisen

Glenn Murcutt, 2006

Anthony Browell

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Rosemary and Robert Walsh 2006

Jemmy, Newcastle tribe, 1836

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Robert Edwards AO 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Mary, Botany Bay tribe, 1836

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Robert Edwards AO 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Mickie, Lake Macquarie, Newcastle tribe, 1836

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Robert Edwards AO 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Toby, Broken Bay tribe, 1836

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Robert Edwards AO 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Tommy, Broken Bay tribe, 1836

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Robert Edwards AO 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Cullabaa, native of Lake George, Five Islands tribe

Cullabaa, native of Lake George, Five Islands tribe, 1836

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Robert Edwards AO 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Bill Worrall, Five Islands tribe, 1836

Portrait, cast bronze on black granite plinth

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Robert Edwards AO 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Archbishop Michael Kelly, c. 1924 (cast 2010)

Arthur Murch

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2015

The aviator, 2008

by Robyn Buckley

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

Man of many faces, 2014

by Jason Ierace

Percy Leason's Aboriginal Portraits

William Johnson (1873—1948) by Percy Leason

Recognition

September - November 2002

Originally conceived as an anthropological record, Percy Leason’s powerful 1934 portraits of Victorian Aboriginal people are today considered to be a highlight of 20th century Australian portraiture

Hearts and craft

Passion

The long game

Portrait 5

This issue of Portrait Magazine features Bill Leak's portrait of Robert Hughes, Polly Borland's photographs, Bill Brandt, Andy Thomas, Tracey Moffatt and more.

Larry Clark

Tough & Tender

Portrait, black and white photograph, pen, and hand coloured photograph on paper

Larry Clark's black-and-white documentary images of young outsiders reveal raw feelings.

Self portrait, 1999/2005

Tracey Moffatt

Purchased with funds provided by Tim Fairfax AM 2013

Luke and Nacoya, 2016

by Daniel Sponiar

Sir Percy Spender, n.d.

Portrait, black conte on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mrs Lily Kahan 2006
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Ayman Kaake

This photo is a self portrait. So this is me. So you can see the eye resemblance. So, and this photo is inspired by my friends, my workplace.

Of Burke, Wills ... and wills

It's Complicated

Infatuation and (ill-fated) exploration

Tom and Pepper, 2014

by Michael Kennedy

Bruce Beresford

Bruce Beresford (b. 1940), director, made his first film while an undergraduate at the University of Sydney in the early 1960s.

2 portraits in the collection

Terry Clune

Terry Clune (b. 1932), gallerist, established Terry Clune Galleries with Frank MacDonald at 59 McLeay Street Potts Point in 1957.

1 portrait in the collection

Elizabeth Henrietta Fitzgerald

Elizabeth Henrietta Fitzgerald (née Rouse, 1818–1863) was born at Rouse Hill, New South Wales, the youngest daughter of colonial public servant and landowner Richard Rouse (1774–1852) and his wife Elizabeth (née Adams, 1772–1849), who’d come to Sydney as free settlers in 1801.

1 portrait in the collection

Alexis Wright, 2009

by Ingvar Kenne

2022 Annual Appeal

In 2022 the Annual Appeal was focussed on Mayatjara by Robert Fielding, a series of 24 photographs of Elders of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara community.

All the world's a stage

Joan Sutherland, Robert Helpmann and Raigh Roe

Charles Dickens

Daniel Maclise

Jonno and Api, 2016

by Joseph Brennan

William Strutt

William Strutt arrived in Melbourne in 1850 having undertaken his training in art in Paris in the late 1830s.

1 portrait in the collection

David Warren, c. 2004

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Commonwealth Department of Defence 2005

The Royal Society medal in commemoration of Captain James Cook

The Royal Society medal in commemoration of Captain James Cook, 1784

Lewis Pingo

Portrait, silver medal

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Robert Oatley AO 2007

Elizabeth Henrietta Fitzgerald (née Rouse), c. 1850

Portrait, hand coloured photograph

Gift of Pamela Glasson 2009
Collected by Leila Haigh (nee Rouse)

Jaq Grantford

Melbourne-born artist Jaq Grantford has been a finalist multiple times in portrait prizes such as the Black Swan Prize, the Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize and the Portia Geach Memorial Award.

1 portrait in the collection

Jill Neville

Jill Neville (1932–1997), writer and critic, grew up in Sydney and attended a Blue Mountains boarding school.

1 portrait in the collection

Martha Kermode, c. 1840

Henry Mundy

Purchased 2008. The original frame for this work was donated to the National Portrait Gallery of Australia by the National Gallery of Victoria 2009.

Lionel Fogarty

Lionel Fogarty (b. 1958), Yugambeh/Kudjela poet and activist, was born at Barambah, the Cherbourg Aboriginal Reserve, near Murgon, Queensland.

1 portrait in the collection

Sulyn and her sisters, 2006

by Rob Walls

Self portrait, 1934

Nora Heysen AM

Purchased 1999

Runners, 2010

by David Kelly

Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer

On train from New York to Memphis, July 4, 1956 by Alfred Wertheimer

Elvis At 21

Previous exhibition, 2013

Elvis at 21 is a photographic exhibition capturing Elvis’ rise to fame in the year 1956, before security and money built walls between him and his fans.

'awk' (Bob Hawke), 1972

Frank Hinder

A Portrait of Colonial Australia

Gift of HOTA (Home of the Arts), Gold Coast 2019 with the encouragement of Patrick Corrigan AM

Heads of the People

Previous exhibition, 2000

For Tom Roberts - Australia's best nineteenth-century portrait painter - neither a proto-national portrait gallery nor more popular collections of portrait heads, were sufficient public celebrations for the notables of Australian history

Polly Borland

Australians

Previous exhibition, 2001

Polly Borland: Australians, is an exhibition of 54 new portraits of significant Australians who have made a contribution to British life and who have largely made their home or based their professional life in the UK

Face of South Sudan, 2012

by Melanie Faith Dove

Pride

Christopher Hopkins

Archived media releases 2016

Tough & Tender Media Release

14 July 2016

Photographs from internationally acclaimed artists Robert Mapplethorpe, Larry Clark, Nan Goldin, Collier Schorr and Chris Burden along with contemporary Australian artists, Rozalind Drummond and Warwick Baker will call the National Portrait Gallery home during our extraordinary winter exhibition Tough and Tender.

The Obama effect

Magazine article by Kim Sajet, 2018

Kim Sajet reflects on two portraits with a power that extends beyond gallery walls.

Justine Saunders

Justine Saunders (1953–2007), actress and woman of the Woppaburra people from the Kanomie clan of Keppel Island, amassed a solid body of work in film, television and theatre.

1 portrait in the collection

Ludwig Becker

Ludwig Becker (1808-1861), was an artist, naturalist and explorer. He was born in Germany and trained as an artist there, and after arriving in Tasmania in 1851 he settled in Melbourne.

1 portrait in the collection

Lyu with orchid, 2017

by David Rosetzky

Wesley Enoch AM

Wesley Enoch AM (b. 1969) is a theatre director and playwright and was the director of the Sydney Festival from 2017 to 2021.

1 portrait in the collection

Room 301, 2012

by Jacqueline Felstead

Mirror identical twins with autism, 2018

by Sarah Rhodes

Martha Singing

Michael Wolfe

Previous exhibition, 2017

Collection in focus: Brook Andrew

Experience the artistic clout of Brook Andrew’s portraits of Marcia Langton AM and Anthony Mundine.

Alice Simpson

Magazine article by Dr Anne Sanders and Dr Christopher Chapman, 2018

Alice Simpson, née Want was one of nine children of Randolph and Harriette Want, who married in Sydney in 1839.

1 portrait in the collection

Selfhood transcended

Anne Sanders and Christopher Chapman bring passionate characterisation to Express Yourself, the Portrait Gallery collection exhibition celebrating iconoclastic Australians.

The Salway family

Dion Georgopoulos

Peteris Ciemitis

Peteris Ciemitis was born in Western Australia in 1959, the son of Latvian refugees.

1 portrait in the collection

Angus Young

Celebrating 100 years of the Historic Memorials Collection

Angus Young (b. 1955), guitarist and songwriter, was a founding member of Australia's most successful ever band, AC/DC.

3 portraits in the collection

Of Kings and men

Previous exhibition, 2011

This display celebrates 100 years of the Historic Memorials Collection and its role in commissioning portraits of parliamentary and judicial figures in Australia.

Rob and Kayla, 2012

by Tom Psomotragos

Max

Rachel Mounsey

Weight of the Mind's Periapt

Jane Allan

Divine, 2014

by Hugh Peachey

Nothing to hide, 2006

by Bindi Cole

Portraits by Stuart Campbell

Between Light and Shadow

Previous exhibition, 2011

The late Australian photographer Stuart Campbell produced superb photographs of Australian actors of stage and screen.

Portrait 68

Summer 2022/23

Rebecca Ray on Robert Fielding’s Mayatjara series, Jennifer Higgie on Alice Neel, Elspeth Pitt chats with Yvette Coppersmith, Vincent Fantauzzo on virtual sittings with Hugh Jackman and more.

Valentin Shkolny

Valentin Shkolny grew up in his native Ukraine, where he began painting as a child and took his first photograph - of his mother - when he was 12.

1 portrait in the collection

Prime Ministers

On the day before the Hon. E. G. Whitlam, AC, QC, died last month, at the great age of 98, there were seven former prime ministers of Australia still living, plus the incumbent Mr. Abbott – eight in all.

John no. 11, 2010

by Alex Cyreszko

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2016

Commander Skyring, Gang-gang cockatoo by Leila Jeffreys

A real tweet

Sarah Engledow plays wingman to Leila Jeffreys.

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.

The Life of Riley, 2014 by Brett Canet-Gibson

Observation Point

Magazine article by Brett Canét-Gibson, 2018

Portrait photography, by definition, is a collaboration. It is also the grandest of lies masquerading as the ultimate truth.

Percy Lindsay

Percy Lindsay (1870-1952), artist, was the eldest child of Robert and Jane Lindsay, born, as were his nine siblings, in Creswick, Victoria.

4 portraits in the collection

Dancer

Touring exhibition, 2024

From letting loose in the loungeroom to enthralling audiences on stage, this exhibition celebrates dance and dancers.

Tre, Dubbo, 2017

by David Prichard

Kevin Gilbert

Kevin Gilbert (1933-1993), Indigenous activist, writer and artist, wrote the first play by an Aboriginal person to be publicly performed in Australia.

2 portraits in the collection

The Possibilities of Portraiture

What does 'portraiture mean at the end of the 20th century? At the outset of building a national portrait collection it seems an appropriate question to investigate.

Portrait 53

Winter 2016

Magazine article by Andrew Sayers AM, 2003

Experience the art of rock music; attend to the neglected aspects of Lord Kitchener's work; and say farewell to the inimitable Bob Ellis.

In the National Interest

In focussing on the importance of gifts in the building of the collection, prominence must be given to the most spectacular of the National Portrait Gallery's acquisitions; the portrait of Captain James Cook RN by John Webber R.A.

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

Gary Foley

Sacrifice, life and loss in the First World War

Gary Foley (b. 1950) is a Gumbainggir activist, actor, historian, curator and academic.

2 portraits in the collection

All that fall

Previous exhibition, 2015

Focussing on the wide-ranging theme of loss and absence, this exhibition provides a moving ‘portrait’ of loss during the First World War on the Australian home front. Powerful symbolic images, including contemporary works, evoke the emotional intensity of loss. All that fall: Sacrifice, life and loss in the First World War is the National Portrait Gallery’s contribution to the Anzac Centenary.

Rennie Ellis

Aussies All

Previous exhibition, 2006

Rennie Ellis: Aussies All is a celebration of the life and work of the late Australian photographer Rennie Ellis.

Frank McIlwraith

Frank McIlwraith was the London representative for the Australian periodical Smith's Weekly in the late 1930s.

1 portrait in the collection

Tim Burstall

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

2 portraits in the collection

Grant McLennan

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2016

Grant McLennan and Robert Forster both sang and wrote songs for The Go-Betweens, and McLennan wrote one of their greatest, 'Cattle and Cane', recalling the rural Queensland environment of his youth.

1 portrait in the collection

Apollo's breath

Christopher Chapman delights in the intimacy of Robert Mapplethorpe's photography

Boardman, Lake Macquarie tribe, 1836

Portrait, lithographic print on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Robert Edwards AO 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

All you can eat

Magazine article by Lauren Dalla, 2003

In February 2003 the National Portrait Gallery Circle of Friends brought Sir Robert Strong to Australia to present a series of lectures entitled The Artists & The Banquet- A History of Dining, which focused on the links between gardens and table decoration from the Renaissance to the Victorian Era.

Self portrait, Cyprus, 1953

David Potts

Purchased 2001

Angus Trumble with Portrait of Sir Joseph Banks by Thomas Phillips

Banksia and grevillea

Portraits can render honour to remarkable men and women, but there are other ways.

POL

Portrait of a Generation

POL was a magazine that ran from 1969 to 1986

Marcia Hines

Marcia Hines (b. 1953) sang in church choirs while growing up in Boston, Massachusetts and had her first solo singing engagement at the age of seven.

1 portrait in the collection

John Knatchbull

John Knatchbull (c. 1792-1844), naval captain and convict, served in the British navy before being convicted of stealing and transported to New South Wales.

1 portrait in the collection

Sean Slattery

This is Davide Di Giovanni and he was a principal dancer for the Sydney Dance Company for six or seven years. He got in touch with me to do some video work together and he was just so amazing.

Home 6, Hedy Zahalka, 2006

by Anne Zahalka

Samuel Metford

Previous exhibition, 2017

Samuel Metford was born in Glastonbury, into a Quaker family. In England he came to specialise in full-length silhouette likenesses, cut from black paper and embellished with gold and white paint.

1 portrait in the collection

Nicholas Harding

28 Portraits

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.

The more things change

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2011

National Photographic Portrait Prize curator, Sarah Engledow, finds reward in a difficult task and ultimately uncovers the essence of portraiture.

Studio

Australian Painters Photographed by R. Ian Lloyd

Previous exhibition, 2007

Studio: Australian Painters Photographed by R

Bust of Frank McIlwraith, 1937

Barbara Tribe

Portrait, cast bronze, patinated

Gift of the Estate of the late Barbara Tribe 2009

Heidi Margocsy

Previous exhibition, 2006

Perrin is an amazing amazing woman, and what I wanted to do with this particular sitting was create something raw and stripped back.

Portraits for Posterity

Drawn from some of the many donations made to the Gallery's collection, the exhibition Portraits for Posterity pays homage both to the remarkable (and varied) group of Australians who are portrayed in the portraits and the generosity of the many donors who have presented them to the Gallery.

Glossy too

Magazine article by Christine Clark, 2005

The Glossy 2 exhibition highlights the integral role magazine photography plays in illustrating and shaping our contemporary culture.

Henry Lawson, c. 1919

Lionel Lindsay

Portrait, pencil, charcoal, pen and ink on paper

Purchased 2010

Kitty Kantilla and Freda Warlapinni at Milikapiti (Snake Bay)

Taracarijimo Freda Warlapinni

Portraits of Australian Visual Artists

Taracarijimo Freda Warlapinni (c. 1928–2004) was a Tiwi woman from Mirrikawuyanga Country on Melville Island.

1 portrait in the collection

William Barak at work on the drawing ‘Ceremony’ at Coranderrk

The Reflecting Eye

Touring exhibition, 1996

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.

Humanæ, 2012 (work in progress) by Angélica Dass

Colour by numbers

Magazine article by Alistair McGhie, 2019

Alistair McGhie explores the many shades of Angélica Dass’ Humanæ project.

The Jester (self portrait), 1923

Lionel Lindsay

Portrait, wood engraving on paper

Gift of Sir Richard Kingsland AO CBE DFC 2003. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Jeremy Ellis AO

Jeremy (Jerry) Ellis (b. 1927) was Chairman of BHP from 1997 to 1999.

1 portrait in the collection

Colin Wills

Francesco Bartolozzi after John Webber

Colin Wills (1906–1965), journalist and author, was born in Toowoomba, Queensland and grew up in Sydney.

1 portrait in the collection

Captain James Cook, engraving after John Webber

Captain James Cook, engraving after John Webber, 1784

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2006

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Robert Oatley AO 2007

Tender tragedies

George Foxhill's self portraits were the subject of a small focus display at the National Portrait Gallery in 2006.

Natasha Gadd

Natasha Gadd is an independent documentary filmmaker, writer and curator based in Melbourne.

1 portrait in the collection

Nambin (black headed python), 2018 by Shirley Purdie

Skin names

The first row of paintings depict stories relating to kinship, introducing significant women relatives.

Lucio Galletto OAM

Lucio Galletto OAM (birth date undisclosed) was born into a family of farmers and restaurateurs in north-west Italy.

1 portrait in the collection

Australian Tapestry Workshop

William Yang, John Fukuda

The Australian Tapestry Workshop (formerly the Victorian Tapestry Workshop) was established in 1976, following two years of planning and research on the part of its founding patrons, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch and Lady Joyce Delacombe.

2 portraits in the collection

Self Portrait #5, 2008

Portrait, inkjet print, black ink on paper

Purchased 2022

Mia Boe

Artists and Collectives

Mia Boe is a Narrm/Melbourne-based artist known for her haunting and evocative painting practice, informed by her Butchulla and Burmese ancestry.

Sir Walter Ralegh (Raleigh)

Unknown artist

Magazine article by Kim Appleby, 2002

A self-portrait in focus

In her self-portrait, Tracey Moffatt presents herself as her work.

Xavier Herbert

Xavier Herbert (1901 –1984), author, was born Alfred Jackson to a single mother in Geraldton, WA.

2 portraits in the collection

Ellen Dahl

Previous exhibition, 2005

Ellen Dahl (b. 1968) grew up in Hammerfest in Norway and studied photography at the Brooks Institute of Photography in California.

1 portrait in the collection

Glossy 2

Faces, Magazines, Now

Following the success of Glossy: Faces, Magazines, Now in 1999 the National Portrait Gallery again highlights the huge array of contemporary portraiture in the pages of magazines.

Russell Shakespeare

William Yang, an unknown artist

Russell Shakespeare (b. 1963) has photographed well-known Australians from a wide range of fields, including writers Tim Winton and Colleen McCullough, sports people Steve Waugh and Stephanie Gilmore, and former politicians Gough Whitlam and Bob Brown.

2 portraits in the collection

Self Portrait #2, 1947/2007

Portrait, inkjet print, black and purple ink on paper

Purchased 2022

Karl Robert, Count Nesselrode, 1818 by Sir Thomas Lawrence

The Lawrence lustre

Magazine article by Angus Trumble, 2019

Angus Trumble salutes the glorious portraiture of Sir Thomas Lawrence.

Tom Roberts, 1920

Alice Mills

Gift of Gerard Vaughan 2001

Jeffrey Smart AO

Jeffrey Smart (1921–2013) was an iconic realist painter, acclaimed for his urban and industrial landscapes which form one of the most original and recognisable bodies of work in the canon of Australian art.

6 portraits in the collection

Aaron Woodcock

Aaron 'Tommy' Woodcock (1905-1985), horse strapper and trainer, was the son of a Cobb and Co driver and expressed his affinity with horses from an early age.

1 portrait in the collection

Georgie Swift

Previous exhibition, 2009

Georgie Swift (1920-2008), journalist, publicist and chatelaine, was born Georgette Marie Hiro Matsui to a French-born mother and Japanese father in Sydney after the First World War.

1 portrait in the collection

OBEY

Shepard Fairey Posters

Shepard Fairey is best known for his iconic poster Obama/Hope which he made in support of Barack Obama for the 2008 US election.

John Olsen AO CBE

John Olsen AO OBE (1928–2023), painter, was one of the major figures in 20th-century Australian art.

7 portraits in the collection

Portrait 59

Autumn 2018

NPG Washington director Kim Sajet on the Obama portraits, Sarah Ball’s Immigrants, judging the NPPP, Frances Hodgkins, and Picnic at Hanging Rock.

Vlase Zanalis

Palassis (Vlase, Vlazio or Vlasio) Zanalis (1902–1973) arrived in Western Australia as a twelve-year-old, accompanied by an uncle, from the Greek island of Kastellorizo in 1914.

1 portrait in the collection

John and Lottie’s wedding, early 1970s Unknown artist

Shifting the definition

Nearest & Dearest

Defiant commitment

Lewis Morley

Myself and Eye

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

Jacob Nash

Photographed by Nathalie Latham

Jacob Nash (born 1982) is a Daly River artist and designer and was Head of Design at Bangarra Dance Theatre between 2010 and 2023, working on over 20 productions.

2 portraits in the collection

Steven Bishop, performer by Nathalie Latham

Australia's Creative Diaspora

Previous exhibition, 2007

Paris based Australian photographer and filmmaker Nathalie Latham has an ongoing interest in the creative achievements of other Australian artists living in various locations around the globe.

Maide Hann

Maide Hann (1924–2012) was the leading photographic model in Australia for several years after the Second World War.

2 portraits in the collection

Gough Whitlam, n.d.

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

D. H. Souter

David Henry Souter (1862-1935) was a cartoonist, painter and art editor.

2 portraits in the collection

Sir Edgar Barton ‘EB’ Coles

Sir Edgar Barton ‘EB’ Coles (1899-1981) was the longest-serving chief executive of the Coles retail group.

2 portraits in the collection

Andrew Maccoll

Andrew Maccoll (b. 1978) is a photographer and creative director. Born into an artistic family (his father is a press photographer and his mother a documentary producer) he worked as a darkroom printing assistant while studying for his degree in Visual Arts in Photography at Queensland College of Art, Griffith University.

3 portraits in the collection

Bishop Spong, 2006

by Marina Dearnley

Rt. Hon. John McEwen CH GCMG PC

Charles Rodius, Hiberian Printing Office

Sir John (‘Black Jack’) McEwen CH GCMG PC (1900-1980) was leader of the Australian Country Party and deputy prime minister from 1958 to 1971.

2 portraits in the collection

John Knatchbull, Murderer of Mrs Ellen Jamieson, 1844

Gift of Leo Schofield AM 2005. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Harry Belafonte

Dorothy Wilding

The Right Honourable Charles Lord Hawkesbury, Chancellor of the Duchy and County Palatine of Lancaster

Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool

An exhibition of sporting photographs by Anderson & Low

Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool (1729–1808), statesman, was educated at Oxford and entered parliament in 1761.

1 portrait in the collection

The Athlete

Previous exhibition, 2000

The Athlete explores the sporting life well beyond the superficial image of the human physique

Young Mo (Roy Rene), 1977

Martin Sharp

Portrait, oil on galvanised iron

Gift of Richard Wherrett 1998. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Sir Henry Lee

Anthonis Mor (Antonio Moro)

John Shirlow, c. 1937

Julian Smith

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

William Dobell, 1943

Gift of Danina Anderson, daughter of Max Dupain 2017.
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Bill Leak, 1999

Simon Obarzanek

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002

Sketch for portrait of Bart Cummings, 1986

Bryan Westwood

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2002

Valentine Green

Valentine Green, engraver, spent two years in a solicitor’s office in Evesham before abandoning the law and becoming a pupil of Robert Hancock, an engraver in Worcester.

1 portrait in the collection

Dora Byrne

Dora was the fourth child of Doretta and Stuart Alexander, her father the owner of a farming property near Albury, New South Wales.

1 portrait in the collection

William Dobell, 1942

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Richard King 2008
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Ngarranggarni

The third row of paintings come from Ngarranggarni (Dreaming).

The Merioola Group, 1940s

Alec Murray

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2008. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Max Dupain

The Vintage Years

John Murphy after George Romney

During his long and distinguished career Max Dupain took thousands of photographs of people

The Right Honourable Charles Lord Hawkesbury, Chancellor of the Duchy and County Palatine of Lancaster, 1788

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2014

phra ajahn ekaggata fka terry milligan

Previous exhibition, 2005

Former photographer phra ajahn ekaggata (formally known as terry milligan), was born in San Francisco and lived in various locations in the USA and Australia before discovering the small town of Braidwood, near Canberra.

7 portraits in the collection

Headspace 6

Who Am I?

The sixth in the National Portrait Gallery’s series of student exhibitions, will feature 200 portrait artworks, both two and three-dimensional, from secondary school students from across Australia

Queen Elizabeth I

associated with Nicholas Hilliard

Eddie Mabo

Sir John Everett Millais 1st Bt

Koiki (Eddie) Mabo (1937-1992) was born and lived in the Torres Strait until 1959 when he moved to the mainland.

1 portrait in the collection

Louise Jane Jopling (née Goode, later Rowe)

Geoffrey Graham, 1941

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

Roberta Sykes

Roberta Sykes (1943–2010), writer and activist, grew up in Townsville and moved to Sydney in the mid-1960s.

1 portrait in the collection

Helen Edwards

Thomas Stewart after Jean Laurent Mosnier

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

Chevalier d'Éon

William John Wills, c. 1861

De Gruchy & Leigh

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2009

Leanne Benjamin, 1999 (printed 2022)

Polly Borland

Purchased 2022

H. Walter Barnett

H. Walter Barnett (1862-1934) was a leading portrait photographer of the late Victorian, Edwardian and interwar periods.

12 portraits in the collection

Anna Pavlova, 1926

Harold Cazneaux

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2015

William Wilberforce

Sir Thomas Lawrence

David Potts reflected in a magazine page

David Potts reflected in a magazine page, c. 1949 (printed 2000)

John Williams, 2000 (printed 2022)

Polly Borland

Purchased 2022

Lionel Lindsay

Sir Lionel Lindsay (1874-1961), graphic artist, was the brother of Norman, Percy, Daryl and Ruby Lindsay and shared with his siblings an early obsession with drawing and printmaking.

5 portraits in the collection

Sir Cecil Colville

Sir Cecil Colville (1891-1984), medical practitioner, was the first president of the Australian Medical Association.

1 portrait in the collection

Barbara Blackman, c. 1953

Gift of Barbara Blackman 2004

Raelene Sharp

Raelene Sharp (b. 1957), artist, was born in Melbourne and began her career as a graphic artist in advertising.

2 portraits in the collection

Mary Seacole

Albert Charles Challen

Archived media releases 2019

The Textiles Scientist, 2018 by Kate Atkinson

Textiles Scientist Voted the People’s Favourite

27 March 2019

The black and white portrait of an elderly woman with sidelong glance and irreverent, contemplative smile has taken out the people’s choice award in this year’s National Photographic Portrait Prize.

William Howitt

William Howitt, woodcarver and sculptor, began his career in the UK, decorating ships’ interiors and working on ecclesiastical items.

1 portrait in the collection

'Amy-Blue' (Amy Winehouse)

Marlene Dumas

Elizabeth Barden

Elizabeth Barden (b. 1965) grew up in Brisbane and gained a diploma in art teaching from Queensland University of Technology in 1985.

1 portrait in the collection

John Howard and Janette Howard, 2000

Josonia Palaitis

Commissioned with funds provided by the Founding Patron, L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2000

Edward Telford Simpson

Edward Telford Simpson (1889-1965), Alice's grandson, was born the only son of Edward Percy Simpson and his wife Anne.

1 portrait in the collection

John Perceval, 1985

Portrait, black conte on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

John Perceval, 1985

Portrait, black conte on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005
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

Ernie Dingo

Ernie Dingo AM (b. 1956), television presenter and actor, is a Yamatji man.

1 portrait in the collection

Lisa Tomasetti

Lisa Tomasetti (b. 1963) is a Sydney-based photographer and visual artist.

1 portrait in the collection

Tim Pak Poy, 1998 (printed 2005)

Kate Gollings

Photographic Portraits from 19th Century Australia

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Thomas Sutcliffe Mort and his wife Theresa

Husbands and Wives

Previous exhibition, 2010

'I have just been to my dressing case to take a peep at you.

Two gentlemen celebrating a birthday (Frank Watters and Geoffrey Legge), 1974

Bob Jenyns

Portrait, painted wood, denim, wool, plastic and candles

Gift of Frank Watters OAM 2018. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Sir Joseph Banks, c. 1788

John Raphael Smith after Sir Benjamin West

Purchased 2010

John Sherwin

John Keyse Sherwin, draughtsman and engraver, worked as a cutter of ships' bolts until 1769, when one of his drawings was awarded a silver medal at the Society of Arts.

1 portrait in the collection

Yvonne East

Contemporary women artists make Australian history

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

Marilyn Ball, Albatross, 2018 (detail) by Linde Ivimey

So Fine

Previous exhibition, 2018

This exhibition features new works from ten women artists reinterpreting and reimagining elements of Australian history, enriching the contemporary narrative around Australia’s history and biography, reflecting the tradition of storytelling in our country.

Mr Movies - Bill Collins OAM, 2009

Evert Ploeg

Portrait, oil on linen

Gift of Joan Collins and the Todd-Wilson family in memory of Bill Collins 2019. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Julia Matthews

Julia Matthews (1842-1876), actress and singer, came to Australia as a girl with her parents, and made her debut at Sydney's Royal Victoria Theatre in 1854, aged twelve.

1 portrait in the collection

George Richmond

George Richmond, son of the miniature painter Thomas Richmond, grew up in London, took early artistic instruction from his father and enrolled in the Royal Academy Schools in 1824.

1 portrait in the collection

Jack Charles

Previous exhibition, 2009

Recorded 2022

doppelgänger

doppelgänger is the second in a series of virtual exhibitions held by the National Portrait Gallery that explore contemporary notions of portraiture in the online environment.

Sir Ivor Hele

Portrait, photographic print from film on paper

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

David Gulpilil's Hands, 2004

Ross Honeysett

Gift of the artist 2021

Lovely Lillie and Dirty Bertie

Lust

Royal romps: illicit liaisons

Australians in Hollywood

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

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.

James Macarthur, c. 1836-1838

Portrait, black and bronze ink with white bodycolour highlight on buff board

Purchased 2019

Bruce Beresford, 1962 (printed 2006)

Jozef Vissel

Portrait, oil and egg tempera on canvas

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2006

Portrait of Jill Neville, 1967 (completed 1997)

Reginald Gray

Gift of the artist 2002

The Death of Captain Cook, 1784

Francesco Bartolozzi, William Byrne after John Webber

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Robert Oatley AO 2007

Rosemary Madigan, 1992

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Bangarra brothers: songman, storyteller, dancer

Passion

Creative kin

Jon Lewis

Portrait, watercolour and gouache on ivory

Jon Lewis (1950-2020) was born in Maryland, USA, and came to Australia in 1951.

3 portraits in the collection

Dame Enid Lyons, c. 1943

Justine Kong Sing

Purchased 2016

Sir John McEwen, n.d.

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

Sir John McEwen, n.d.

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

Piper, the native who accompanied Major Mitchell in his expedition to the interior of N.S.W.

Piper, the native who accompanied Major Mitchell in his expedition to the interior of N.S.W., 1836

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Robert Edwards AO 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Gamaliel Butler, c. 1824

Portrait, bromide print on photographic paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Merv Shearman 2012

Sir John Cornforth, 1993 (printed 2003)

Nick Sinclair

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2004

Indomitable spirit

Magazine article by Ricky Maynard, 2010

Photographer Ricky Maynard talks us through the creation of the portrait commission of Mick Dodson.

Angus Young, 2003 (printed 2014)

Ingvar Kenne

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

Vincent Fantauzzo on Hugh Jackman

Portrait, cast bronze on granite base

Recorded 2021

Harold Holt, 1969

Victor Greenhalgh

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Paul and Wendy Greenhalgh 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

John McRae

An interview with the photographer.

Donald Cameron

Portrait, hand-cut acetate stencil, aerosol enamel on canvas

Donald Cameron (1927-2018), Melbourne-born painter and teacher, attended Scotch College before beginning work as an engraver for the Commonwealth Bank in 1943.

2 portraits in the collection

Bob Hawke, 2012

Luke Cornish

Purchased 2013

Inspiration + Realisation: Peter Wegner

Magazine article by Katherine Russell, 2006

Peter Wegner's approach to portraiture could be considered a visual record of the rapport, the dynamic space between artist and subject.

Julian Kingma

Julian Kingma (b. 1968), photographer, began his career in 1988 as a cadet for the Herald newspaper in Melbourne, and later worked for the Sunday Age as Head Features Photographer.

11 portraits in the collection

Sir Thomas Lawrence

Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) was one of the leading portrait painters of the Georgian era.

8 portraits in the collection

Portrait of HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

Tribute: Mary Isabel Murphy

The Chairman, Board, Director and all the staff of the National Portrait Gallery mourn the loss of our Benefactor, Mary Isabel Murphy.

Colin Friels

Colin Friels (b. 1952) arrived in Australia as an adolescent with his Scottish parents, both blue-collar workers.

1 portrait in the collection

Lily Brett, n.d. (printed 2021)

Jacqueline Mitelman

Previous exhibition, 2011

Purchased with funds provided by Jillian Broadbent AC 2021

Indecent exposure

Annette Kellerman

'Diving Venus' and 'the perfect woman' are two of the numerous descriptions applied to Annette Kellerman, who achieved international fame during the early decades of the twentieth century.

Sir Charles Lloyd Jones

Sir Charles Lloyd Jones (1878-1958), merchant and arts patron, grew up in Sydney, where he studied at Julian Ashton's art school in 1895.

1 portrait in the collection

Janet Holmes a Court AC

Janet Holmes à Court AC (b. 1943), businesswoman and philanthropist, graduated in science and worked as a teacher before marrying young Perth lawyer Robert Holmes à Court in 1966.

1 portrait in the collection

The 'Multi Exposed Hand'

22 January 2005

Photographer Jozef Vissel talks about his ‘Multi Exposed Hand’ portrait of Sydney Opera House architect Jørn Utzon.

Tracey Moffatt, 1995

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Darrell, 1990 (printed 2013)

Michael Riley

Purchased 2013

Cate Blanchett and Ernie Dingo, 1994

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper

Purchased 2004

A Tribute to William Dobell

Francesco Bartolozzi after John Webber

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

Captain James King, engraving after Webber

Captain James King, engraving after Webber, 1784

Portrait, etching, printed in black ink from one copper plate on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Robert Oatley AO 2007

Truggernana [Trukanini], a native of southern part of V.D. Land

Truggernana [Trukanini], a native of southern part of V.D. Land, 1835

Benjamin Duterrau

Purchased with funds provided by The Ian Potter Foundation 2009

Woureddy [Wurati], a wild native of Brune Island

Woureddy [Wurati], a wild native of Brune Island, 1835

Benjamin Duterrau

Portrait, etching, printed in black ink from one copper plate on paper

Purchased with funds provided by The Ian Potter Foundation 2009

John Olsen - En plein air, 1996

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

William Dobell, Potts Point, Sydney, 1960 (printed 2000)

William Daniell after George Dance

Sir Joseph Banks, 1811

Portrait, soft ground etching on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2014

The Hon. John Howard OM AC

The Hon. John Howard OM AC (b. 1939) was Prime Minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007.

1 portrait in the collection

John Waters, 2013

George Fetting

Gift of the artist 2015

Portrait of Captain James Cook RN, 1782

John Webber

Purchased by the Commonwealth Government with the generous assistance of Robert Oatley AO and John Schaeffer AO 2000

David Rosetzky

Francesco Bartolozzi after Nathaniel Dance

David Rosetzky (b. 1970) is a Melbourne-based contemporary artist working across photography, video and installation.

2 portraits in the collection

Omai, A Native of Ulaietea, 1774

Purchased with funds provided by Robert Oatley AO 2007

Bon Scott

Ronald 'Bon' Scott (1946-1980) had come to Australia with his family in 1952, aged six, had lived in Melbourne and Fremantle, where he joined a pipe band; had dropped out of school at fifteen; and had spent some time in custody.

1 portrait in the collection

Jack Charles, 2011

Rod McNicol

Purchased 2013

Missy Higgins, 2004

Support your Portrait Gallery

Gift of the artist 2006

Honour board

The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges and thanks all its supporters.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana (b. 1968), actor, was born Eric Banadinovich to a Croatian father and German mother and grew up in Melbourne.

1 portrait in the collection

Kenneth Rowell AM

Portrait, white on blue Jasper Ware in oval shaped wood and gilt frame

Kenneth Rowell AM (1920–1999), artist and theatre designer, grew up in Melbourne and became intent on a career in the theatre at a young age.

2 portraits in the collection

Jasperware medallion of Captain James Cook

Jasperware medallion of Captain James Cook, 1779

Wedgwood and Bentley

Purchased with funds provided by Robert Oatley AO 2007

Oodgeroo Noonuccal at Moongalba, 1982

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper

Purchased 2004

Oodgeroo Noonuccal at Moongalba Stradbroke Island (her sitting down place)1982

Oodgeroo Noonuccal at Moongalba Stradbroke Island (her sitting down place)1982, 1982

Gift of the artist 2009

Self portrait, 2005

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2008. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Tim Fairfax, 2018

by Russell Shakespeare

Commissioned with funds provided by The Calvert-Jones Foundation 2018

Louis Kahan AO

Louis Kahan (1905-2002) was born in Vienna, Austria to Jewish parents.

63 portraits in the collection

Self portrait, 1999

Portrait, drypoint on paper

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

Dominique Issermann

Dominique Issermann (b. 1946), a fashion, advertising and portrait photographer known for her striking black and white images, was born in Paris and became interested in photography as a teenager.

1 portrait in the collection

Chris Hemsworth AM

Chris Hemsworth AM (b. 1983), one of Australia's best-known actors, appeared in a number of television shows including Neighbours, Saddle Club and Marshall Law before joining the cast of Home and Away in 2004.

1 portrait in the collection

Brook Andrew

Portrait, oil on masonite

Recorded 2011

Lady [Hannah] Lloyd Jones, 1970

Judy Cassab AO CBE

Gift of Charles E. Lloyd Jones and Kim Lloyd Jones 2019. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Hong Fu

Previous exhibition, 2019

Hong Fu was born in China in 1946 and held his first solo exhibition at the National Art Gallery, Beijing, in 1988.

1 portrait in the collection

Primed

Some Prime Ministers

Seventeen of Australia’s thirty prime ministers to date are represented in the contrasting sizes, moods and mediums of these portraits.

Arthur Boyd, 1962

Axel Poignant

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2003

Luther Cora

Yeah, so it's my daughter. So, I shot this last year, I think on the Gold Coast, we had a little lockdown period, couple of lockdown period.

Mary Chomley, 1909

Violet Teague

Portrait, oil and hand-stitching on canvas

Purchased with the assistance of funds provided by Jillian Broadbent AC 2021

A man and his music: Peter Weiss and the Australian Chamber Orchestra

A man and his music: Peter Weiss and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, 1995

Kerrie Lester

Gift of Peter Weiss AO 2018. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Dame Elizabeth Couchman, n.d.

Aileen Dent

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Susan Webster, step-granddaughter of Dame Elizabeth Couchman, 2015

Shane Warne AO

Shane Warne AO (1969–2022) is the most successful wicket taker in Australia's Test history.

1 portrait in the collection

Michael Johnson, McMahon's Point, Sydney

Michael Johnson, McMahon's Point, Sydney, 1969 (printed 2000)

Michael Johnson, McMahon's Point, Sydney, 1969 (printed 2000)

Michael Johnson, McMahon's Point, Sydney, 1969 (printed 2000)

Michael Johnson, McMahon's Point, Sydney, 1969 (printed 2000)

Michael Johnson, McMahon's Point, Sydney, 1969 (printed 2000)

Michael Johnson, McMahon's Point, Sydney, 1969 (printed 2000)

Susie Porter, 2000 (printed 2001)

Peter Brew-Bevan

Purchased 2001

Margaret Dodd, 2002

J B. Hunt after Antoine François Jean Claudet

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Caroline Chisholm, 1853

Portrait, steel engraving on paper

Purchased 2015

Lady [Hannah] Lloyd Jones OBE

Hannah Benyon Lloyd Jones OBE (1901–1982) was the third wife of Sir Charles Lloyd Jones, the chairman of David Jones from 1920 until his death in 1958.

3 portraits in the collection

Dr Roberta Sykes and Naomi, 1994

Portrait Photography from the Collection

Gift of the artist 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

In the mirror: self portrait with Joy Hester

Depth of Field

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.

Punch, wife of Cullabaa, Broken Bay tribe

Punch, wife of Cullabaa, Broken Bay tribe, 1836

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Robert Edwards AO 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Noni Hazlehurst, 1977 (printed 2011)

Lorrie Graham

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Ricky Maynard

Ricky Maynard (b. 1953) is an Indigenous Tasmanian photographer. He is best known for his Tasmanian photographic essays The Moonbird People (1985–1988) and Portrait of a Distant Land (2005), made while he was living and working on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir Clive McPherson

Sir Clive McPherson (1884-1958), pastoralist and businessman, was the son of a bank manager, and his mother was a pianist who came from a pastoral family.

1 portrait in the collection

Janet Holmes á Court, 2001 (printed 2011)

Lorrie Graham

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

NPPP 2009 exhibition essay

Previous exhibition, 2009

Dr Christopher Chapman, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2009 Prize.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2009

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.

Bloodlines

Magazine article by Michelle Fracaro, 2004

Michelle Fracaro describes Lionel Lindsay's woodcut The Jester (self-portrait).

Monochromatic Self-Portrait, 2000 by Genevieve Preston

Headspace 1

Previous exhibition, 2000

Headspace showcases portrait art produced by secondary students from Year 7 to Year 12 in Government, Catholic and Independent schools in Canberra and its surrounding regions extending to Wollongong, Deniliquin, Leeton, Crookwell, Bombala, Narooma and Albury

Rosemary Madigan

Rosemary Madigan (1926–2019) was one of Australia's most respected sculptors.

3 portraits in the collection

Tim Flannery

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2010

Recorded 2016

Undercurrent

Dr Sarah Engledow writes about the portraiture of Australian artist Nicholas Harding.

Andrew Campbell

An interview with the photographer.

Trevor Jamieson

Trevor Jamieson (b. 1975), Pitjantjatjara/Nyungar actor, didgeridoo player, guitarist, singer, dancer and storyteller, grew up in the Goldfields region of Western Australia.

1 portrait in the collection

President Johnson and Prime Minister Holt at Canberra Airport

President Johnson and Prime Minister Holt at Canberra Airport, 1966 (printed 2000)

Portrait, oil on masonite

Senator Nancy Buttfield, 1958

Sir Ivor Hele

Gift of Senator Dame Nancy Buttfield DBE 2003. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Dame Joan Sutherland OM AC DBE

Previous exhibition, 2018

Dame Joan Sutherland OM AC DBE (1926–2010) was one of the world's greatest operatic divas.

3 portraits in the collection

National Photographic Portrait Prize 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.

Dame Nancy Buttfield DBE

Dame Nancy Buttfield DBE (1912–2005) was the first South Australian woman member of Federal Parliament.

1 portrait in the collection

Harry Seidler AC OBE

Harry Seidler AC OBE (1923–2006), architect and designer, was born in Vienna and completed his early architectural studies in England and Canada.

4 portraits in the collection

Charles Lloyd Jones, n.d.

Gift of Mrs Lily Kahan 2017. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Aden Ridgeway & pallbearers entering Sydney Town Hall, State Funeral for Kwementyaye Perkins AO, 25th October 2000

Aden Ridgeway & pallbearers entering Sydney Town Hall, State Funeral for Kwementyaye Perkins AO, 25th October 2000, 2000

Mervyn Bishop

Purchased 2001

Martin Grant, 2004

Henry Samuel Sadd after Freeman Brothers

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2006

Sir James Martin, c. 1880s

Archived media releases 2017

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2009

Richard Morecroft & Alison Mackay, 2016 by Gary Grealy

Gary Grealy wins National Photographic Portrait Prize 2017

31 March 2017

After months of anticipation, the winner for the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2017 has been announced with renowned Sydney portrait photographer Gary Grealy taking out the award. George Fetting, guest judge for the 2017 Prize, was entranced with the evocative nature of the winning portrait Richard Morecroft and Alison Mackay.

Sir Oswald Brierly, c. 1870

London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company

Portrait, carte de visite photograph

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2015

Tommy Woodcock and Reckless, 1977 (printed 2010)

Bruce Postle

Magazine article by Kate Gollings, 2004

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by James Bain AM and Janette Bain 2010

Three Dimensional

Kate Gollings describes an encounter between three generations of Australian photographers; David Moore, Max Dupain and John Gollings.

Gary Foley, Invasion Day - We Have Survived

Gary Foley, Invasion Day - We Have Survived, 1988

Gift of the artist 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Warwick Thornton

Warwick Thornton (b. 1970) is a Kaytetye man, writer, director and cinematographer.

2 portraits in the collection

Colin Friels, n.d.

Stuart Campbell

Previous exhibition, 2023

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

Time and light

In Gallery Seven

This sample of 56 photographs takes in some of the smallest photographs we own and some of the largest, some of the earliest and some of the most recent, as well as multiple photographic processes from daguerreotypes to digital media.

Jon Lewis, 1990 (printed 2002)

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

Sir William Dobell OBE

Sir William Dobell (1899–1970), painter, studied art and was apprentice to an architect in Sydney before leaving Australia for Europe in 1929.

10 portraits in the collection

Tracey Moffatt, 1995

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Alan Goldberg AO QC

Alan Goldberg AO QC (1940-2016), Federal Court judge, was born into a pioneering Jewish Melbourne family and graduated from the University of Melbourne law school in the early 1960s.

1 portrait in the collection

2013-14 Acquisition Fund

This 1910 portrait of Elizabeth Sarah (Lillie) Roberts by Tom Roberts was brought into the Gallery's collection with the assistance of the Acquisition Fund in 2013.

Gooseberry, widow of King Bungaree, 1836

Magazine article by Kylie Scroope, 2011

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Robert Edwards AO 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Opening of the First Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia by H.R.H. The Duke of Cornwall and York, May 9, 1901, 1903 by Tom Roberts

Empire records

Celebrates the centenary of the first national art collection, the Historic Memorials Collection, housed at Australia's Parliament House.

Peace, the Man and Hope, 2005

Brook Andrew, Larry Rawling

Portrait, screenprint on five sheets of paper

Gift of Brook Andrew in memory of Emmaline Rose Charnock 2012. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

James Houston

Scoring first prize in New South Wales for Art in the 1983 HSC was a signal that a talented creative career lay ahead and this has indeed proven the case.

2 portraits in the collection

George Lambert, c. 1929

Annie May Moore

Brook Andrew, Trent Walter

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2015

Marcia Langton, 2009

Portrait, screenprint on paper

Commissioned with funds provided by Marilyn Darling AC 2009

Robyn Davidson (near Uluru), 1979 (printed 2014)

Rick Smolan

Portrait, inkjet print (black and white) on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2014

Mary Windeyer

Mary Windeyer (née Bolton, 1837-1912), women's rights campaigner, was one of the nine children of Robert Thorley Bolton, a clergyman who emigrated to New South Wales in 1839.

3 portraits in the collection

'Come + see the real thing, come + see' Conquistadors parts Hong. Ranger 3: Preparatory study for 'Nothing's as precious as a hole in the ground'

Peter Garrett AM

Peter Garrett AM (b. 1953), musician, environmental and social activist, and former politician, is the lead singer of the band Midnight Oil, which originated in Sydney's northern beaches in the mid-1970s.

12 portraits in the collection

Michael Zavros

Michael Zavros (b. 1974) graduated from Queensland College of Art with a Bachelor of Visual Arts in 1996.

2 portraits in the collection

2012-13 Acquisition Fund

The Circle of Friends Acquisition Fund for 2012 was dedicated to purchasing a portrait of David Malouf by Rick Amor.

Ali Cobby Eckermann and Lionel Fogarty at the Hawkesbury River, 2014

Purchased 2015

Dame Mabel Brookes, c. 1955

Sir William Dargie CBE

Portrait drawings from colonial Australia

Gift of Rodney Davidson AO OBE 2014. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Elegance in exile

Previous exhibition, 2012

Elegance in exile is an exhibition surveying the work of Richard Read senior, Thomas Bock, Thomas Griffiths Wainewright and Charles Rodius: four artists who, though exiled to Australia as convicts, created many of the most significant and elegant portraits of the colonial period.

William Macleod

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

Trevor Jamieson, 2016

Brett Canét-Gibson

Purchased 2018

Inge King AO

Inge King AO (1915–2016), sculptor, was at the forefront of the development of non-figurative sculpture in Australia and remained one of Australia’s outstanding sculptors into her 80s – a time in her life in which she continued to develop innovative work.

1 portrait in the collection

Some lads #1, 1986

Tracey Moffatt

Portrait, computer generated image, synthetic polymer paint and gel-glitters on polyester canvas

Gift of the artist 1998. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023

Learning resources

We encourage you to look, to feel, to think, to question and most importantly, to identify and connect.

Arizona 250 GT Major General Liz Cosson, 2013

Richard Larter

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2013

Charles Troedel

Charles Troedel (1835-1906), born in Hamburg, was working in Norway when he was headhunted by AW Schuhkrafft, a Melbourne printer who seeking European craftsmen.

1 portrait in the collection

Richard Morecroft & Alison Mackay, 2016

Gary Grealy

Portrait, carved marble on travertine marble base

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2018

Bust of Peter Garrett, 1991-2016

Peter Schipperheyn

Gift of the artist 2018. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Ali Cobby Eckermann

Self Portraits in Australia

Ali Cobby Eckermann (b. 1963), Yankunytjatjara/Kothaka author and poet, was born in Adelaide.

1 portrait in the collection

To Look Within

This exhibition is the first comprehensive survey of self-portraits in Australia, from the colonial period to the present

The Pavlova

It is a painful truth, but one which must be faced up to, that the pavlova, that iconic Australian dessert, a staple since the 1930s, was actually invented in New Zealand.

Leah Purcell, c. 2000

Penny Tweedie

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2016

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2004

Benny (42nd Street Series), 1979–80 by Larry Clark

City boys

Christopher Chapman immerses himself in Larry Clark’s field of vision.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2018 winner announced

23 March 2018

Finalists have been eagerly awaiting the announcement of the Winner and Highly Commended for the National Photographic Portrait Prize since December. It is our pleasure to announce the Winner for 2018 is Lee Grant for her portrait titled Charlie and Highly Commended has been awarded to Filomena Rizzo for her portrait titled My Olivia.

William Westall

William Westall (1781-1850), grew up in London and was taught to draw by his elder half-brother Richard, who was drawing master to Princess Victoria.

1 portrait in the collection

Ningali Lawford-Wolf

Magazine article by David Rosetzky, 2019

Ningali Lawford-Wolf (1967–2019), Wangkatjungka actor and dancer, was born at Christmas Creek Station in the Kimberley.

1 portrait in the collection

Observation point

I work with portraiture as a way to explore the nuances and complexities of contemporary selfhood and subjectivity.

Arthur Boyd Portraits

Previous exhibition, 2008

This is the first in a series of National Portrait Gallery exhibitions to survey the portraits painted by artists who are not thought of, primarily, as portrait painters

Self Portrait (Textanude) by Arlene TextaQueen

Animated

Self Portraits Online

Animated is the National Portrait Gallery's first online exhibition.

Juno Gemes

Photographer and social justice activist Juno Gemes (b. 1944) has spent much of her long career documenting the lives and struggles of First Nations people.

38 portraits in the collection

Portrait of Kenneth Rowell, 1967

David Strachan

Significant Australian Women 1913–2013

Gift of Margaret Olley 2002. Transferred from the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

First Ladies

Previous exhibition, 2013

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

Dame Elizabeth Couchman DBE

Dame Elizabeth Couchman DBE (1876–1982), political activist, grew up in in Geelong and gained a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia.

1 portrait in the collection

Betty Churcher AO

(Elizabeth) Betty Churcher AO (1931–2015), gallery director, author, painter and lecturer, was educated in Brisbane before studying at the Royal College of Art in London.

3 portraits in the collection

Michael Riley

Michael Riley (1960–2004), a Wiradjuri/Kamilaroi photographer, filmmaker and video-artist, was one of Australia's most influential Aboriginal contemporary artists.

15 portraits in the collection

Joan Sutherland, n.d. (printed 1992)

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

Alan Goldberg, 2014

Jacqueline Mitelman

Magazine article by Lauren Dalla, 2005

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2015

Alienation

More about In the flesh

Segregated from their fellow humans in cellophane prisons, reference points are removed, so it is not certain whether these naked figures could be unwrapped, are about to be subsumed, or will forever be suspended in a plastic stasis.

A Pioneering Life

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.

Ningali Lawford-Wolf, 1996 (printed 2016)

Stuart Spence

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2016

2014-15 Acquisition Fund

Portraits in the Landscape

Kristin Headlam's portrait of Chris Wallace-Crabbe was acquired with the support of the Circle of Friends in 2014.

Open Air

Previous exhibition, 2008

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

Dave Tice

Dave Tice (b. 1950) was the lead singer for the trailblazing Australian hard rock band Buffalo.

1 portrait in the collection

Ivy Shore

Ivy Shore (1915–1999), painter, was born in Melbourne, daughter of a South Australian suffragette, Elka, and engineer John Williams.

2 portraits in the collection

Obey

Michael Desmond investigates the street art of Shepard Fairey, who was catapulted to fame during the 2008 presidential election with his resonant image of Barack Obama.

Russell Page

Russell Page (1968–2002), choreographer, dancer and actor, was from the Nunukul (Noonuccal) people and the Munaldjali clan of the Yugambeh people of south-east Queensland.

4 portraits in the collection

Michelle Simmons

Sends a permanent shiver down my spine

Recorded 2018

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.

Ken Wyatt, 2019 (printed 2020)

Alex Ellinghausen

Purchased 2022

Wendy Sharpe, 2000

Portrait, albumen silver photograph

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

The First Ministry under Responsible Government in New South Wales

The First Ministry under Responsible Government in New South Wales, 1856

Freeman Brothers

Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2009

Gamaliel Butler

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2016

Gamaliel Butler (1783–1852), lawyer and free settler, emigrated to Van Diemen’s Land in 1824 with his wife, Sarah (née Paine, 1787–1870).

2 portraits in the collection

Director John Duigan and actor Judy Davis on the set of ‘Winter of our Dreams’, Sydney, 1981 by Robert McFarlane

Natural born stiller

Penelope Grist speaks to Robert McFarlane about shooting for the stars.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023

Previous exhibition, 2023

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.

Dave Tice, 1978 (printed 2018)

Gary Ede

Purchased 2018

Sir James Martin

Previous exhibition, 2010

Sir James Martin (1820-1886) was fourth Chief Justice of New South Wales.

1 portrait in the collection

Australian of the Year

Inspiring a Nation

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

Portrait of Jerry Ellis, 1999

Lewis Miller

Portrait, oil on Belgian linen

Gift of BHP Billiton 2003. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Wendy Sharpe

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

Jack Charles

Jack Charles (1943–2022) was a revered Wiradjuri, Boon Warrung, Dja Dja Wurrung, Woiwurrung and Yorta Yorta Elder, activist, actor, musician and artist.

1 portrait in the collection

Portrait of a patron

The vision of Gordon and Marilyn Darling

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

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.

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.

Alex Frayne

An interview with the photographer.

Nick Cave, 1994

Bleddyn Butcher

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002

Glossy - Faces Magazines Now

Previous exhibition, 2014

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.

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.

Maurice Ashkanasy CMG QC

Maurice Ashkanasy (1901-1971) was a barrister and Jewish community leader whose family came to Australia from London when he was 9 years old.

1 portrait in the collection

Self portrait, 2002

Barry Humphries

Gift of the Margaret Olley Art Trust 2003

Study of Archbishop Daniel Mannix, 1962

Clifton Pugh AO

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Bon Scott & Angus Young, Atlanta, Georgia, 1978 (printed 2010)

Rennie Ellis

Purchased 2010

Rod McNicol

Rod McNicol (b. 1946), photographic artist, studied photography at Prahran College in Melbourne, where he formed a close friendship with Athol Shmith.

1 portrait in the collection

All that fall

25 March 2015

Focusing on the wide-ranging themes of loss and absence, All that fall: Sacrifice, life and loss in the First World War creates a moving portrait of mourning and sacrifice as experienced on the Australian home front during the First World War.

Donald Friend

Donald Friend (1915-1989), painter, writer and diarist, studied at the RAS and Dattilo-Rubbo’s school in Sydney before spending 1935 and 1936 at the Westminster School in London.

2 portraits in the collection

George Hurrell

Magazine article by Stephen Zagala, 2013

George Hurrell, born in Kentucky, began his working life studying painting at the Art Institute of Chicago.

1 portrait in the collection

Chet Baker, singer, New York City, January 16, 1986 by Richard Avedon

The existential lens

Stephen Zagala discusses Richard Avedon’s work from an Australian perspective.

Malcolm Williamson AO CBE

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2017

Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson AO CBE (1931–2003), composer, was born in Sydney, and was educated at Barker College, Hornsby, and then at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he studied piano and French horn as well as composition under Sir Eugene Goossens.

1 portrait in the collection

Through thick and thin

Sarah Engledow likes the manifold mediums of Nicholas Harding’s portraiture.

Julian Meagher

Julian Meagher was born in Sydney in 1978 and studied part time at the Julian Ashton Art School before undertaking a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery at the University of New South Wales.

1 portrait in the collection

William Baker Ashton

William Baker Ashton (1800-1854) was the first governor of Adelaide Gaol.

1 portrait in the collection

Shirley Purdie

Contributing artists

Born: 1947, Gilbun – Mabel Downs Station, WA
Works: Warmun, WA

200 Years of Portraiture

To celebrate his family bicentenary, Malcolm Robertson looks at the portraiture legacy left by his ancestors.

Tom Roberts

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2016

Tom Roberts (1856–1931), artist, came to Australia from England at the age of 13, but returned eight years later to study art in London.

9 portraits in the collection

Naked nostalgia

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

Oz Rock

Gettin’ robbed, gettin’ stoned, gettin’ beat up, broken boned

Infamy, the macabre & the portrait

Two of the music industry’s highest-selling performers originated in suburban Australia. The Bee Gees started out in Brisbane, for instance, and AC/DC played their first gigs at a nightclub in inner Sydney.

Sideshow Alley

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.

George Mealmaker

George Mealmaker (1768–1808), convict and activist, became involved in radical politics in his native Dundee in the 1780s.

1 portrait in the collection

Mary Elizabeth Maud Chomley OBE

Mary Elizabeth Maud Chomley OBE (1872–1960) has been described as the 'divine angel of mercy' for Australian prisoners of war during the First World War.

1 portrait in the collection

Eric Bana, 2006 (printed 2012)

Andrew Maccoll

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2012

Donald Friend, 1987

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Leah King-Smith

Contributing artists

Born: 1957, Gympie, QLD
Works: Brisbane

Wayne Blair, 2007 (printed 2014)

Ingvar Kenne

Portrait, ink and charcoal on paper

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

Donald Friend at Owl Creek, 1983

Lawrence Daws

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Lawrence Daws 2012
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Kerry Walker, c. 1979

Stuart Campbell

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

Noni Hazlehurst AM

Magazine article by Esther Agostino, 2015

Actor, presenter and broadcaster Noni Hazlehurst AM (b. 1953) studied drama at Flinders University in South Australia, and after graduating gained roles in the television cop shows Division 4, Homicide and Matlock Police.

2 portraits in the collection

Amy Johnson wearing a woollen suit from the collection of flight clothes designed by Madame Schiaparelli for her solo flight from London to Cape Town, 1938 unknown photographer

Air wear

Aviation carried women’s roles in society to greater heights – fashion followed suit.

Sir Charles Lloyd Jones, 1951

Sir William Dobell OBE

Gift of the Simpson family in memory of Caroline Simpson OAM 2008. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Sir Donald Bradman, 1990

Bill Leak

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2008
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Facing the inferno

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2006

Tara James speaks to Cam Neville about his portrait series, Firefighters.

Aussies all

The exhibition Aussies all features the ecclectic portrait photography of Rennie Ellis which captures Australian life during the 70s and 80s.

Ethel Marian (Maie) Casey AC

Ethel Marian (Maie) Casey AC, Baroness Casey (1892-1983), chatelaine, artist, pilot and author, was born in Melbourne, the daughter of the Surgeon General, Sir Charles Ryan.

1 portrait in the collection

Violet Teague

Violet Teague (1872–1951) was among Edwardian Australia's most fashionable and assured portraitists, although the art historical establishment was slow to acknowledge it.

2 portraits in the collection

Where the wild things are

Michael Desmond explores the complex portrait of Dr Bob Brown by Harold 'The Kangaroo' Thornton.

Xavier Herbert, early 1980s (printed 2018)

Jacqueline Mitelman

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2018

Dora Byrne, 1951

Richard von Marientreu

Magazine article by Peter Wilmoth, 2016

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Estate of Leslie Walford AM 2013

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

Paper, boy

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

Elizabeth Cosson AM CSC

Chefs, winemakers, providores

Elizabeth Cosson AM CSC (b.1958) enlisted in the Australian Army in 1979 and was the first woman to be promoted to the rank of Major General in the Australian Army in 2007.

1 portrait in the collection

Carol McGregor

Contributing artists

Born: 1961, Hastings, New Zealand
Works: Brisbane

Masters of Fare

Previous exhibition, 2005

Masters of fare: chefs, winemakers, providores celebrates men and women who have championed the unique culinary characteristics and produce of Australia, enriching our lives with new ideas and new flavours over the past forty years.

Clifton Pugh

Australians

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.

Arianne McNaught

Magazine article by Rebecca Ray, 2023

An interview with the photographer.

Aretha Brown

In conversation

Gumbaynggirr artist Aretha Brown talks street art, collaboration and ghost stories with First Nations Curator and Meriam woman, Rebecca Ray.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2022

Previous exhibition, 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.

Shane Warne, 2006

Robin Sellick

Purchased 2006

Elizabeth Lewis

Mortimer Lewis (1796–1879), surveyor and architect, and his wife Elizabeth (née Clements, c.

1 portrait in the collection

Mortimer Lewis

Mortimer Lewis (1796–1879), surveyor and architect, and his wife Elizabeth (née Clements, c.

1 portrait in the collection

The eye and the heart

Nici Cumpston immerses herself in the collective vision of the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2020.

Sir Oswald Brierly

Sir Oswald Brierly (1817–1894), marine painter and adventurer, studied art, naval architecture and navigation in England before his fascination with seafaring caused him to sign up as staff artist on the Wanderer – a schooner owned by entrepreneur Benjamin Boyd, who was about to embark on a round-the-world trip.

1 portrait in the collection

Marcia Hines, c. 1981

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

Nicholas Harding

Nicholas Harding (1956–2022) was one of Australia's most highly regarded artists, known for his portraits and drawings, and his light-filled, vigorously painted images of the bush and the coast.

5 portraits in the collection

Feather and the Goddess Pool, 2014 by Natalie Grono

Feather voted the people’s favourite

11 June 2015

The National Portrait Gallery is thrilled to announce that the People’s Choice award for this year’s National Photographic Portrait Prize goes to Natalie Grono from Byron Bay for her photograph Feather and the Goddess Pool 2014.

David Unaipon

David Unaipon (1872-1967) writer, public speaker and inventor, was a Ngarrindjeri man, fourth of nine children of the evangelist James Ngunaitponi and his wife Nymbulda, both of whom were Yaraldi speakers.

1 portrait in the collection

Bob Jenyns

Robert ‘Bob’ Jenyns (1944-2015) grew up in Victoria and gained his diploma in art from the Caulfield Institute of Technology in 1964.

1 portrait in the collection

Wayne Blair

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2008

Wayne Blair (b. 1971), director, actor and writer, became interested in acting and dance while a high school student in Rockhampton in the 1980s.

1 portrait in the collection

Alexander Pearce
executed for murder
July 19th 1824

Public hanging

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

Dan the man

Magazine article by India Bednall, 2015

Martin Philbey’s portrait of Dan Sultan.

Goollabal (Rainbow Serpent), 2018 by Shirley Purdie

Memories

The second row of paintings recall stories relating to specific sites, experiences and activities.

Mrs Elizabeth Lewis, c. 1830

Portrait, watercolour on ivory

Gift of Leo Schofield AM 2002. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Nothing's as precious as a hole in the ground

Protest!

How can we dance when our earth is turning?

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.

Brenton McGeachie

An interview with the photographer.

William P. Dowling

Five Years of National Portrait Gallery Commissions

William Paul Dowling (1824–1877) is thought to have studied art in his native Dublin before settling in London, where he worked as a draughtsman while trying to establish himself as a portraitist.

1 portrait in the collection

Making Portraits

Portrait, albumen silver photograph carte de visite on card

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

Julia Matthews, c. 1862

Davies & Co

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

William Walford

Magazine article by Geoffrey Batchen, 2007

Francis William Barnard Walford (1821–1896), businessman and landowner, was born in Hobart, the son of Barnard Walford (1801–1846), a publican and victualler; and the grandson of Barnard Walford senior (c.

1 portrait in the collection

Here and there

Nathalie Latham's exhibition Australia's Creative Diaspora explores Australians, in the arts, who live and work internationally.

Michael Kimmelman

Magazine article by Pamela Gray, 2002

Michael Kimmelman, Chief Art Critic of The New York Times and author of Portraits: Talking with Artists at the Met, the Modern, the Louvre and Elsewhere, presented the National Portrait Gallery Third Anniversary Lecture on 2 March 2002. He was generously brought to Australia by the Gordon Darling Foundation and Qantas.

Harry Kewell, 2011

Magazine article by Gillian Raymond, 2023

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Kyoto Temple Enlists Android Buddhist Deity to Help People, 23 February 2019 The Asahi Shimbun.

More than human

Gillian Raymond investigates the history of humanoid robots and asks, is this the future of portraiture?

Horatio S. Wills

Horatio Spencer Howe Wills (1811–1861), pastoralist, politician and newspaper proprietor, was born in Sydney, several months after the death of his father, Edward Spencer Wills, a merchant and shipowner who'd arrived in New South Wales under a life sentence for highway robbery in 1799.

2 portraits in the collection

Twenty new portraits marking Portrait Gallery’s twentieth birthday

21 August 2018

Magazine article by Andrew Sayers AM, 2010

To celebrate the National Portrait Gallery’s twentieth anniversary as an institution, twenty portraits of outstanding Australian individuals have been commissioned for the permanent collection. This is the largest undertaking for the Gallery’s commissioning program in its twenty-year existence.

The considered life

Andrew Sayers asks whether a portrait can truly be the examination of a life.

Talking heads

In their own words lead researcher Louise Maher on the novel project that lets the Gallery’s portraits speak for themselves.

Sydney Cove medallion, 1789 by Josiah Wedgwood

The medallion

In recent years I have become fascinated by the so-called Sydney Cove Medallion (1789), a work of art that bridges the 10,000-mile gap between the newly established penal settlement at Port Jackson and the beating heart of Enlightenment England.

Photograph from Eye to I series, 2022 David Lindesay

A portrait of the artist by the artist

Rowan McGinness asks: when is a self portrait not a self portrait?

Adrian Rawlins

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2022

Adrian Rawlins (1939-2001), poet, performer and promoter, grew up in a Jewish household in Caulfield and St Kilda.

1 portrait in the collection

Paper weight

Joanna Gilmour delves into a collection display that celebrates the immediacy and potency of drawing as an art form in its own right.

Interiors

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2009

Christopher Chapman previews the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2009.

Soffritto di Lucio, 2009

Garry Shead and Adrienne Levenson

Portrait, oil on linen

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Lucio Galletto OAM 2012
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

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.

Hyperversity

Magazine article by Gareth Knapman, 2017

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

The Conciliation, 1840 by Benjamin Duterrau

The art of conciliation

Gareth Knapman explores the politics and opportunism behind the portraits of Tasmania’s Black War.

Liu Wei

Featured Artists

Born 1965 in Beijing. Lives and works in Beijing.

Giving and getting

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2006

The exhibition Portraits for Posterity celebrates gifts to the Gallery, of purchases made with donated funds, and testifies to the generosity and community spirit of Australians.

Study for Portrait of W S Robinson, 1952

Sir William Dobell OBE

Portrait, oil on board

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2003

Little treasures

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2002

The acquisition of the ivory miniatures of Mortimer and Mrs Lewis.

William Francis King, 'The Flying Pieman'

William Francis King, 'The Flying Pieman', c. 1869

John Davis

Portrait, albumen paper carte de visite

Gift of the family of FW Macpherson 2010

Melbourne experience

Magazine article by Diana Warnes, 2007

Diana Warnes explores the lives of Hal and Katherine 'Kate' Hattam through their portraits painted by Fred Williams and Clifton Pugh.

Dancer

Hosting a touring exhibition

From letting loose in the loungeroom to enthralling audiences on stage, this exhibition celebrates dance and dancers.

Portrait of a Pioneer , 1917
Violet Teague

Off her own bat

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2022

Joanna Gilmour profiles Violet Teague, whose sophisticated works hid her originality and non-conformity in plain sight.

Poison pen

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2010

Michael Desmond examines the career of the eighteenth-century suspected poisoner and portrait artist Thomas Griffiths Wainewright.

Portrait story

Magazine article by Vincent Fantauzzo, 2022

Artist Vincent Fantauzzo on dyslexia, connection and virtual sittings with Hugh Jackman.

1 to 6

Magazine article by David Sequeira, 2005

The National Portrait Gallery's annual survey of student self portraiture highlights the processes of personal inquiry through portraiture by students from all levels across Australia.

History

About us

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

Generous Janice

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2013

Dr Sarah Engledow puts four gifts to the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection in context.

Dorothy Gordon OBE

Dorothy Gordon (Jenner) OBE, ‘Andrea’ (1891-1985), actress, dressmaker, stuntwoman, journalist, radio broadcaster and charity fundraiser, grew up on a property near Narrabri and attended boarding school in Sydney before gaining a part as a chorus girl in Girl in a Train in Melbourne in 1912.

2 portraits in the collection

2015-17 Acquisition Fund

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.

About the exhibition

Portraits + Architecture

Johnstone O'Shannessy & Co

Martha Mary Robertson, 1866

Portrait, albumen photograph on carte de visite

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Malcolm Robertson in memory of William Thomas Robertson 2018
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

A papal pet encounter

In honour of the launch of the Popular Pet Show, Angus recalls a diplomatic incident with an over-excited golden retriever.

George Brown

George Brown (1835-1917), clergyman, established numerous Methodist missions in the Pacific from the late 1880s.

1 portrait in the collection

Portrait of Rosie Batty Unveiled at Portrait Gallery

24 January 2018

The National Portrait Gallery has unveiled a newly commissioned portrait of Australian domestic violence campaigner and 2015 Australian of the Year Rosie Batty.

Mural of Italian/Roman actress Anna Magnani (1908–1973) with face mask, April 2020 Unknown artist

Of plague and portraits

Corinna Cullen on the symbolic power of pandemic-related imagery over the ages.

Cocky McGrath

Portrait, albumen paper carte de visite

The long life and few words of a vice-regal cockatoo

William Robertson, 1866

Thomas Adams Hill

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Malcolm Robertson in memory of William Thomas Robertson 2018
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

The Story So Far...

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2002

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

Restoring histories

Magazine article by Gillian Raymond, 2004

Photographic conservation practices and the restoration of the Barbara Blackman photographic portrait.

Penn on paper

Magazine article by Sharon Peoples, 2017

Michael Desmond discusses Irving Penn's photographic portrait of Nicole Kidman.

Unbuttoning uniforms

Sharon Peoples contemplates costumes and the construction of identity.

International issue

Magazine article by Glynis Jones, 2022

Michael Desmond looks at the history of the Vanity Fair magazine in conjunction with the exhibition Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008

Lyndall Hobbs and Marilyn at the Come as your favourite blonde party, Blitz Club, London, 1979 Robert Rosen

Shiny, happy people

Glynis Jones on the Powerhouse’s retrospective of one of Australia’s foremost fashion reportage and social photographers.

101 photographic portraits

Magazine article by Michelle Fracaro, 2004

Pat Corrigan's generous gift of 100 photographic portraits by Greg Weight.

Arianne McNaught

Finalist interviews

I think the most important thing in capturing candid shots is to never take the photo when people are expecting you to press the shutter. The more poignant moments are not the stock standard images of people looking at the camera smiling but after or before when they are really interacting with each other.

In the galleries

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2009

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

How to be a boy

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2011

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

Queen Mary

George Frederick Ernest Albert, The Duke of Cornwall and York and later King George V (1865-1936), was the son of Edward VII, the man for whom the Edwardian era was named.

3 portraits in the collection

King George V

Magazine article by Dr Anne Sanders, 2013

George Frederick Ernest Albert, The Duke of Cornwall and York and later King George V (1865-1936), was the son of Edward VII, the man for whom the Edwardian era was named.

4 portraits in the collection

Pop poet

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

People are people

Magazine article by Sandra Bruce, 2022

Sandra Bruce chats with seven-time NPPP finalist Chris Budgeon about photography, guitars and representing the human story.

Two painters

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2007

Chris Chapman explains how Matthys Gerber bridges the gap between abstraction and portraiture.

2021 Annual Appeal

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2021

In 2021 the Annual Appeal was focussed on Peter Brew-Bevan's portraits of athletes Turia Pitt, Leisel Jones OAM and Ellie Cole OAM.

Twin chics

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

Powerful energy

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2010

Dr Christopher Chapman explores the symbolism in the portrait commission of Marcia Langton by Brook Andrew.

The play’s the thing

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

Welcome home, Captain Bligh

27 March 2015

Magazine article by Alistair McGhie, 2017

The National Portrait Gallery will, next Tuesday, unveil an exciting new acquisition of irrefutable importance to all Australians. Portrait of William Bligh, in master’s uniform c. 1776, attributed to John Webber, is one of the earliest portraits of the contentious, historical figure, and extends the Gallery’s remarkable collection of early colonial portraits.

Full time

Alistair McGhie reminisces about three Australian rugby greats commissioned for the Portrait Gallery collection by Patrick Corrigan AM.

The Gladiators (Norm Provan and Arthur Summons)

Who's that?

Michael Desmond discusses the iconic picture of two Rugby League players which became known as 'The Gladiators'.

Jude Rae

Jude Rae’s high reputation rests on her austere, cerebral still lifes of gas canisters, electric jugs and jars, which she groups and rearranges for paintings that catch their difficult curves and reflections. Her self-portrait’s likewise thoughtfully composed.

Jessica Mauboy, 2018

by David Rosetzky

Commissioned with funds provided by Sony Music Entertainment Australia 2018

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2018

8 March 2018

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2004

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

With a Little Help from my Friends

The story behind the acquisition of the portrait of Danish architect Jørn Utzon.

Time is precious

Magazine article by David Sequeira, 2004

Headspace5: Crystal Gazing highlighted the diversity of materials and techniques that young people use for self expression. David Sequeira presents a personal view of three works in the exhibition.

Shall I raise my eyebrows and gasp? (Alex), 2011 by TextaQueen

Pen power

Magazine article by Jane Raffan, 2015

Politics and personae in the portraiture of TextaQueen by Jane Raffan.

Andrew Gaze, 2018

by George Fetting

Commissioned with funds provided by Trent Birkett 2018

Bob Hawke

Magazine article by Jessica Smith, 2009

Robert James Lee (Bob) Hawke (1929-2019) moved with his family from South Australia to Perth in 1939.

9 portraits in the collection

Sketches and sermons

Jessica Smith looks at the 'fetching' portrait of Tasmania's first Anglican Bishop, Francis Russell Nixon by George Richmond

"Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?", 1956

Pop goes the preconception

Magazine article by Paul Moorhouse, 2007

A National Portrait Gallery, London exhibition redefines portraiture, shifting the focus towards a new perspective on Pop Art.

Revd Dr Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch, c.1795 by Sir Henry Raeburn

Great Scots

Magazine article by Diana O'Neil, 2017

Diana O’Neil samples the tartan treats on offer in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

An Australian story

Magazine article by The Hon. Dr Kevin Rudd, 2009

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.

Times like these

Magazine article by Gavin Fry, 2010

Gavin Fry examines the art and career of the Australian painter Rick Amor.

L. Gordon Darling AC CMG

31 August 2015

Magazine article by Jane Kinsman, 2007

The Chairman, Board, Director and all the Staff of the National Portrait Gallery mourn the loss of our Founding Patron, who died peacefully in Melbourne this morning. He was 94.

Themes and variations (Annelies) A13, 1946

Listening to form

National Gallery of Australia curator Jane Kinsman discusses the portraiture of Henri Matisse.

Insightful

Magazine article by Robert McFarlane, 2004

Henri-Cartier-Bresson invented the grammar for photographing life in the 20th century.

Flash mob

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2019

Sarah Engledow trains her exacting lens on the nine photographs from 20/20.

Yanyangkari Roma Butler and Yangi Yangi Fox from Irrunyju (Wingellina), Western Australia, 2017 Rhett Hammerton

Weaving identity

Magazine article by Rebecca Ray, 2022

Rebecca Ray explores the way identity, belonging and connectedness are translated through materiality in First Nations portraiture.

Extremely generous and incredibly close

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2010

Michael Desmond examines the daguerreotype portraits created by American artist Chuck Close.

Portrait of Captain Edward Riou, 1801

James Heath after Samuel Shelley

Portrait, stipple engraving on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

High & Bligh

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2008

Joanna Gilmour explores the 1790 portrait of William Bligh by Robert Dodd.

Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnial, Marquis de Vaudreuil, ca.1753-55

Canadian identities

Magazine article by Lilly Koltun, 2004

An exploration of national identity in the Canadian context drawn from the symposium Face to Face at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in 2004.

Hop, skip, shoot

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2004

Former NPG Deputy Director, Simon Elliott talks with Ern McQuillan about his life and career as a sports photographer.

Star signs

Magazine article by Barry York, 2018

Barry York charts the course from childhood request to autographed celebrity portrait anthology.

Miles from nowhere, 2008 (printed 2014) from the Games of consequence series 2008 Polixeni Papapetrou

Mother’s muse

Magazine article by Inga Walton, 2020

Inga Walton traces the poignant path of photographer Polixeni Papapetrou, revealed in the NGV’s summer retrospective.

Alternative virtue

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2015

Joanna Gilmour presents John Kay’s portraits of a more infamous side of Edinburgh.

Stigma stigmata

Magazine article by Angus Trumble, 2015

Angus Trumble provides poignant context for Aña Wojak’s portrait of Tony Carden.

South-bound and down

Magazine article by Jane Raffan, 2013

Joanna Gilmour recounts the story of ill-fated sea voyages in the early stages of the Antipodean colony.

All dressed up

Jane Raffan asks do clothes make the portrait, and can the same work with a new title fetch a better price?

Hot Scots

Magazine article by Christopher Baker, 2013

James Holloway describes the first portraits you encounter when entering the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Movement is my radar

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2015

Michael Desmond charts the path of portraiture, arriving at Julian Opie’s digital realm.

William Shakespeare, c. 1600-1610 associated with John Taylor

Selected images

Take a peek at a selection of the portraits you can see in the exhibition.

Donated duo

Magazine article by Jane Raffan, 2017

Dr Sarah Engledow writes about the gift of two striking paintings by the Australian artist Ken Done AM.

Sarah Bernhardt, 1876 by Georges Clairin

Demimonde liaisons

Jane Raffan feasts on modernity’s entrée in the Belle Époque theatre of the demimonde.

Yellow portrait (portrait of Alex Jelinek)

Fugue in Yellow

Magazine article by Roger Benjamin, 2015

Roger Benjamin explores the intriguing union of Lina Bryans and Alex Jelinek.

Ken Done

Magazine article by Niamh MacNally, 2007

With a mum who was married to a tradie, you’d think it a fair chance that the baby Jesus would have grown up with a dog in the house.

One and all

The current exhibition of portraits at the National Gallery of Ireland Print Gallery investigates just how paper-thin ideas of likeness are.

Gordon Darling Hall, National Portrait Gallery

Architecture

About us

Natural light and human proportions – the design by Johnson Pilton Walker

Portrait Donors

Listed by year

Honour board

Darren McDonald

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2018

The wild balancing act of McDonald’s home décor (is that there as a joke? where do I actually sit down? is this ironic or what? what a lovely photo of Darren and Robin in Europe!) is reflected in his own personality.

Greek Orthodox Priest, 2015 by Sarah Ball

Hope for kindness

Sarah Engledow arrives at the junction of fate and hope in Sarah Ball’s poignant Immigrants series.

No shirt, no service

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2010

Bon Scott and Angus Young photographed by Rennie Ellis are part of a display celebrating summer and images of the shirtless male.

Asiel Timor Dei, ca. 1728 by a master of Calamarca

The Viceroyalty of New Spain

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2015

European painters always enjoyed a good deal of latitude in the representation of angels, those asexual, bodiless, celestial regiments of God, so long as they were young and beautiful.

Swimming every day

National Photographic Portrait Prize judge Christopher Chapman connects this year’s entries to iconic contemporary american photographers.

Une Femme Amoureuse, Self portrait as Mireille Mathieu, 2022 Yvette Coppersmith

You, looking at me

Magazine article by Elspeth Pitt, 2022

Elspeth Pitt chats with Archibald Prize-winning artist Yvette Coppersmith about performance, coincidences and the intersection of art and life.

Beyond the bow tie

NPPP 2015 exhibition essay

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

Swimming every day

Magazine article by Peter Jeffrey, 2016

Dr Christopher Chapman, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2015 Prize.

Hottie's Snifter to port

Peter Jeffrey trips the hound nostalgic.

A guy from Paris

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2018

Sarah Engledow on a foundational gallery figure who was quick on the draw.

Home truths

Despite once expressing a limited interest in the self portrait, the idea of it has figured strongly in much of Tracey Moffatt's work and has done so in some of her most distinctive and compelling images.

Alison Rehfisch

Alison Baily Rehfisch (1900–1975) was born Alison Green in Woollahra, New South Wales, to parents who 'were very interested in painting – in all the arts: music, literature, everything'.

2 portraits in the collection

Nicholas Harding: 28 Portraits

Exhibition essay

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2019

Sarah Engledow looks at three decades of Nicholas Harding's portraiture.

Study for Aunty Mary King, 2010 by Mathew Lynn

The animating signature

Joanna Gilmore delights in the affecting drawings of Mathew Lynn.

An evening at Yarra Cottage, Port Stephens

Maria Caroline Brownrigg

Magazine article by Tamsin Hong, 2016

At first glance, this small watercolour group portrait of her two sons and four daughters by Maria Caroline Brownrigg (d. 1880) may seem prosaic, even hesitant

Rev. Victor B. Walls and Mrs. Walls, Trinidad, B.W.I., c.1930

The first nurse

Tamsin Hong recounts the tale of Marion Smith, the only known Australian Indigenous servicewoman of World War One.

Bushrangers, Victoria, Australia, 1852, 1887 by William Strutt

Strutt your stuff

Magazine article by Matthew Jones, 2016

Matthew Jones on the upshot of a St Kilda Road outrage.

Murray frees himself from straightjacket in public, 1928 by Sam Hood

Risky business

Magazine article by John Zubrzycki, 2016

John Zubrzycki lauds the characters of the Australian escapology trade.

‘Untitled’ - Yellow Kangaroo Paw, 2008 by Christian Thompson

The 'I' in Indigenous art

Magazine article by Jane Raffan, 2013

Jane Raffan examines unique styles of Indigenous portraiture that challenge traditional Western concepts of the artform.

Inditchenous beestes of New Olland

A remarkable undated drawing by Edward Lear (1812–88) blends natural history and whimsy.

Nicholas Harding

Magazine article by Andrew Sayers AM, 2009

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.

In the round

Andrew Sayers outlines the highlights of the National Portrait Gallery's display of portrait sculpture.

Grateful admiration and brotherly love

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2012

In the earliest stages of the Great War, the Royal Pavilion in Brighton was turned into a military hospital, and arrangements made there to accommodate the different dietary and other requirements of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim patients.

Real close

Peter Ciemitis breached regulations when creating the portrait of the polymath environmental scientist George Seddon.

The Dissecting Room

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2015

Joanna Gilmour accounts for Australia’s deliciously ghoulish nineteenth century criminal portraiture.

Hide/Seek

Magazine article by David Ward, 2010

David Ward writes about the exhibition Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture on display at the National Portrait Gallery, Washington.

Self-portrait in black jumper, 2017 Graeme Drendel

Be frank

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2020

Close encounters are the genesis for Graeme Drendel’s enticing portraiture.

Shadows of light

Magazine article by Mark Haworth-Booth, 2002

Mark Haworth-Booth explains why Bill Brandt is one of the most important British photographers of the Twentieth Century.

Earth to earth

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2013

Dr Sarah Engledow discusses the recent gift of works by David Campbell.

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

The activist A-list

Magazine article by Gael Newton, 2017

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.

In and out of focus

Gael Newton looks at Australian photography, film and the sixties through the novel lens of Mark Strizic.

On the wall – Guangzhou (II), 2002 by Weng Fen

Exhibition themes

The four main themes of the exhibition: About face, Body politic, Skin deep, and Self reflex.

Blue Mountain, Owner, Trainer, Jockey, James Scobie

Sure thing

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2016

Blue Mountain, Owner, Trainer, Jockey, James Scobie 1887 by Frederick Woodhouse Snr. is a portrait of James Scobie, well known jockey and eminent horse trainer.

Showing character

Joanna Gilmour on Tom Durkin playing with Melbourne's manhood.

The Right Honourable Sir Ninian Stephen KGAK GCMG GCVO KBE QC, 2006 by Rick Amor

Prima facie

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2019

Sarah Engledow casts a judicious eye over portraits in the Victorian Bar’s Peter O’Callaghan QC Portrait Gallery.

Annual Appeal

Listed by year

Honour board

Tejal Shah

by Gitanjali Dang

Portrait, tinted lithograph on paper

Born in 1979, Tejal Shah grew up in Chhattisgarh, central India, moving to Bombay in 1995.

Sir Thomas Gore-Browne, 1864

J Walch & Sons

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2018

Icons and imagery

Magazine article by Alison Weir, 2011

Alison Weir explores the National Portrait Gallery, London and the BP Portrait Award to find what makes a good painted portrait - past and present.

Family collective

Magazine article by Beatrice Gralton, 2013

Beatrice Gralton looks at a larger than life portrait by Chinese artist Song Dong.

Mugshots

Magazine article by Anne O'Hehir, 2022

A toast to the acquisition of an unconventional new portrait of former Prime Minister, Stanley Melbourne Bruce.

Judy Davis and Sam Neill in ‘My Brilliant Career’, 1979 David Kynoch

Moving still

Anne O’Hehir on the seductive power of the film still to reflect and shape ourselves and our cultural landscape.

Unheroic Materialism: little harmless fragments of memory and association: a portrait of Angus Trumble, 2019 Evert Ploeg

The last word

Magazine article by Dr David Hansen, 2022

David Hansen’s tribute to his close friend, prince of words and former National Portrait Gallery director, the late Angus Trumble.

M H Wednesday 11.15am from the series Self-harm, 2004

Big it up

Magazine article by Magda Keaney, 2005

Former National Portrait Gallery Curator Magda Keaney was a member of the selection panel of the Schwepes Photographic Portrait Prize 2004 at the National Portrait Gallery London.

The life of Bryant

Magazine article by Tenille Hands, 2018

Tenille Hands explores a portrait prize gifted to the National Screen and Sound Archive.

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.

Cover, first minute book of the Tasmanian Society of Natural History

Embrace your inner nerd

Magazine article by Andrew Sayers AM, 2001

The southern winter has arrived. For people in the northern hemisphere (the majority of humanity) the idea of snow and ice, freezing mist and fog in June, potentially continuing through to August and beyond, encapsulates the topsy-turvidom of our southern continent.

Me Myself I

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

Untitled, Conductors, Tramways series, 1990 © Matt Nettheim

Back track

Magazine article by Gillian Raymond, 2005

Penelope Grist finds photographer Matt Nettheim re-visiting a formative and fulfilling career tram stop.

Corporate Characters

A collection of thirty-seven caricatures by the artist Joe Greenberg capture the heroes and villians of Australian business in the 1980s.

Depth of Field

Magazine article by Lauren Dalla, 2004

The exhibition Depth of Field displays a selection of portrait photographs that reflect the strength and diversity of Australian achievement.

Miss Robertson of Colac (Dolly), 1885-86

Brothers on farms

Magazine article by Malcolm Robertson, 2011

Malcolm Robertson tells the family history of one of Australia's earliest patrons of the arts, his Scottish born great great great grandfather, William Robertson.

Mary (or Diana) Croker, mat woman, Colchester, 1823 by John Dempsey

Unknown drawer

Magazine article by Dr David Hansen, 2017

Dempsey’s People curator David Hansen chronicles a research tale replete with serendipity, adventure and Tasmanian tigers.

Sophisticated and glamorous

Magazine article by Amanda Rowell, 2015

Michael Riley’s early portraits by Amanda Rowell.

Hearts of Darkness

Magazine article by Magda Keaney, 2006

The National Portrait Gallery's acquisition of the portrait of Edward John Eyre by pioneering English photographer Julia Margaret Cameron.

Flesh, figure and rock

Magazine article by Aimee Board, 2018

Aimee Board traces Judy Cassab’s path to the Australian outback, arriving at the junction of inspiration and abstraction.

Home and away

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.

Kristin Headlam

Basil grew into a speckled beauty – a long-legged leaper and an exceptionally vocal dog, with a great register of sounds, ascending in shock value from a whimper to a growl to a bark to a yelp that’s a violation of the ears.

Reflections

Magazine article by Lee Tulloch, 2011

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.

Self Portrait, Stuart Campbell by Stuart Campbell

The essence of you

Lee Tulloch remembers her great friend NIDA-trained actor turned photographer Stuart Campbell.

Vivan Sundaram

by Rakhee Balaram

Magazine article by Gael Newton, 2003

Born in 1943 in Simla, Vivan Sundaram’s long career has given him opportunities to work in a range of mediums – painting, installation, assemblage, photography, digital media and film.

Vintage Max

Gael Newton delves into the life and art of renowned Australian photographer, Max Dupain.

FX Harsono

by Christine Clark

Magazine article by Diana O'Neil, 2016

FX Harsono was born in 1949, just as the independence of the Indonesian nation was being established.

Of jumpers and river gums, red

Diana O’Neil on Noel Counihan’s vivid 1971 portrait of Alan Marshall.

More cash than dash

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2011

Joanna Gilmour describes how colonial portraitists found the perfect market among social status seeking Sydneysiders.

Portraits and other stories

Magazine article by Christine Clark, 2006

As the National Portrait Gallery opens its exhibition of portrait and figurative work by veteran photographer Sam Haskins, the artist reflects on the highlights of his fifty-year career so far.

Indexing, the art of

Magazine article by Gillian Raymond, 2016

The first index I created was for my first book, and, to my astonishment, that was almost twenty-five years ago.

Living landscape

Gillian Raymond ponders landscapes as self-portraiture in Michael Taylor’s intimate expressionism.

Trevor Jamieson, 2016 by Brett Canet-Gibson

The more things change...

NPPP 2017 exhibition essay

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

Nadiah Bamadhaj

by Beverly Yong

Magazine article by Diana Warnes, 2007

Born in Malaysia in 1968, to a Malaysian Muslim father and a New Zealander mother of Scottish descent Nadiah Bamadhaj studied Fine Arts in New Zealand, and is currently working on a PhD from Curtin University, Western Australia.

Oz and beyond

Martin Sharp fulfils the Pop art idiom of merging art and life.

Rick Amor: 21 Portraits

Magazine article by Lauretta Morton, 2006

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

The news from Washington

Australia's former Cultural Attache to the USA, Ron Ramsey, describes the mood at the opening week of the revitalised American National Portrait Gallery.

Skyhooks (Red Symons, Bob Starkie, Shirley Strachan, Greg Macainsh, Freddie Strauks) in Parker’s studio, Fitzroy, 1975 David Parker

Cool cool world

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2022

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

A spectral sentience

Magazine article by Aimee Board, 2019

Aimee Board reveals method, motivation and mortality in the portraiture of Rod McNicol.

Be bold

Magazine article by Katherine Russell, 2007

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.

Elle on wheels

Magazine article by Lucy Quinn, 2013

Lucy Quinn compares the approaches of three photographers lured to the action and culture of roller derby.

Beautiful bones

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2011

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.

Seeing stars

Magazine article by Stephen Valambras Graham, 2021

Joanna Gilmour explores photographic depictions of Aboriginal sportsmen including Lionel Rose, Dave Sands, Jerry Jerome and Douglas Nicholls.

Nannultera, a young cricketer of the Natives' Training Institution, Poonindie , 1854 John Michael Crossland

The catechist and the cricketer

Stephen Valambras Graham traverses the intriguing socio-political terrain behind two iconic First Nations portraits of the 1850s.

Charlie's angles

Magazine article by Stephen Phillips, 2017

Stephen Phillips talks to neurosurgeon Charlie Teo about his practice, perspectives and the anatomy of hope.

Vanity fair

Magazine article by Ashleigh Wadman, 2012

Ashleigh Wadman rediscovers the Australian characters represented with a kindly touch by the British portrait artist Leslie Ward for the society magazine Vanity Fair.

Material culture

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2018

The Rajah Quilt’s narrative promptings are as intriguing as the textile is intricate.

Arcadia: Sound of the sea

Exhibition introduction

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2010

One night in the spring of 1970 in an old house in Whale Beach, north of Sydney, John Witzig, Albe Falzon and David Elfick put together the first issue of Tracks, playing Neil Young’s album Harvest over and over again as they pasted up galleys of type.

Finest quality

Joanna Gilmour explores the life of Chinese-Australian businessman and philanthropist Quong Tart.

Technical terminology

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2010

Michael Desmond introduces some of the ideas behind the exhibition Present Tense: An imagined grammar of portraiture in the digital age.

Rehearsing Godot (Mullins as Lucky) 4.11.2013 by Nicholas Harding

Waiting for Godot

'Artist and actors, advancing spasmodically, find their rhythm together' writes Sarah Engledow.

Queen Alexandra and Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia, Hvidore, circa 1908 by Mary Steen

The cost of living luxuriously

In 1904, the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia purchased as a gift for her sister, Queen Alexandra, a fan composed of two-color gold, guilloché enamel, mother-of-pearl, blond tortoiseshell, gold sequins, silk, cabochon rubies, and rose diamonds from the House of Fabergé in Saint Petersburg.

A real Pratt

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2022

The death of a gentlewoman is shrouded in mystery, a well-liked governor finds love after sorrow, and two upright men become entangled in the historical record.

You are who?

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

Uncommon Australians

The vision of Gordon and Marilyn Darling

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

The shipwright's arms

Magazine article by Pamela Gerrish Nunn, 2016

Joanna Gilmour explores the life and times of convict-turned-artist William Buelow Gould.

Adam’s Prize Apples

Pamela Gerrish Nunn explores New Zealand’s premium award for portraiture.

Ms Anna Burke MP, Speaker of the House of Representatives 2015 by Jude Rae

Hired guns, bounty hunters and horse whisperers

Magazine article by Jude Rae, 2016

Jude Rae contemplates the portrait commission.

Sunset in the drawing room at Chesney Wold by Hablot Knight Brown

Portraiture in a Bleak House

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2008

It may seem an odd thing to do at one’s leisure on a beautiful tropical island, but I spent much of my midwinter break a few weeks ago re-reading Bleak House.

The bright-eyed Mariner

A new colonial portrait brings a zealous captain near.

Christian Waller with Baldur, Undine and Siren at Fairy Hills, 1932 by Napier Waller

Enigma

Magazine article by Dr Grace Blakeley-Carroll, 2015

Grace Carroll contemplates the curious case of Christian Waller.

The Art Lovers - Megan, 2013 by Gary Grealy

Everybody, look serious

NPPP 2014 exhibition essay

Magazine article by Robyn Sweaney, 2016

Dr Sarah Engledow, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2014 Prize.

Untitled (girl on chair with red shoes) by Violet Frisby

Finding Mrs Frisby

Robyn Sweaney's quiet Violet obsession.

Fine and dandy

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2010

Whether the result of misadventure or misdemeanour, many accomplished artists were transported to Australia where they ultimately left a positive mark on the history of art in this country.

Some prime ministers

Magazine article by Karen Vickery, 2016

Sarah Engledow explores the history of the prime ministers and artists featured in the exhibition.

Diamond Doll

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

Anne-Louise Lambert as Miranda Courtesy Picnic Productions

Rock star

Magazine article by Jennifer Coombes, 2018

Jennifer Coombes explores the lush images of Picnic at Hanging Rock, featuring Anne-Louise Lambert’s Miranda, the face of the film.

Rethinking foundational histories

Magazine article by Kate Fullagar, 2019

A focus on Indigenous-European relationships underpins Facing New Worlds. By Kate Fullagar.

Thinking about architecture and portraiture

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2009

Dr Christopher Chapman describes the experimental exhibition Portraits + Architecture

Dupain detective

Magazine article by Johanna McMahon, 2019

Johanna McMahon revels in history and mystery in pursuit of a suite of unknown portrait subjects.

Royal Solomon Islands Police Force recruits, Maranatha Hall, Honiara by Sean Davey

The art of peace

Magazine article by Sven Knudsen, 2018

Sean Davey captures the portrait of a nation renewed.

Off grid

Magazine article by Aimee Board, 2019

Aimee Board ventures within and beyond to consider two remarkable new Gallery acquisitions.

Self-portrait in white jacket , 1901-02 Hugh Ramsay

Wunderkind lost

Magazine article by Inga Walton, 2021

Inga Walton on the brief but brilliant life of Hugh Ramsay.

Dr Edward MacMahon, 1959 by William Dobell

Bill and Ted's excellent portrait.

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2016

Sarah Engledow on Messrs Dobell and MacMahon and the art of friendship.

Profile of a marriage

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2009

Dr Sarah Engledow explores the lives of Sir George Grey and his wife Eliza, the subjects of a pair of wax medallions in the National Portrait Gallery's collection.

Of ice and men

Frank Hurley's celebrated images document the heroism and minutiae of Australian exploration in Antarctica.

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.

Graeme Drendel

Magazine article by Tedi Bills, 2016

I like talking about Drendel’s pictures as if they expressed dreams of my own.

It's a Mora!

Select extracts from Mirka Mora's autobiography, Wicked but Virtuous, provide rich accompaniment to recent Gallery acquisitions.

20 20

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2017

Sarah Engledow picks some favourites from a decade of the National Photographic Portrait Prize.

Some women you may not know

Alison Alder

‘Everybody’s lives are built by so many influences, and for me, it is writers, artists and activists who have influenced how I think about the world.’

Illuminating history

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2023

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

Yanyuwa young men, The Song Peoples Sessions CD Launch Rehearsals, Yanyuwa Country, 2012 Benjamin Warlngundu Ellis

Us being ourselves

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2022

Penelope Grist talks to photographer Benjamin Warlngundu Ellis about capturing moments, telling stories and keeping Culture strong.

Australia’s great internationalists

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2016

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

Splendid, many-splendoured

Magazine article by Sandra Bruce, 2021

Sandra Bruce gazes on love and the portrait through Australian Love Stories’ multi-faceted prism.

Drawing inspiration

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2017

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

Women make history

Magazine article by Jennifer Higgie, 2022

Jennifer Higgie uncovers the intriguing stories behind portraits of women by women in the National Portrait Gallery’s collection.

The Bare story

Magazine article by Natalie Wilson, 2023

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

A potpourri of portraits

Archie 100 curator (and detective) Natalie Wilson’s nationwide search for Archibald portraits unearthed the fascinating stories behind some long-lost treasures.

Friends and Acquaintances

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2005

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

Naked ambition

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2009

Joanna Gilmour dives into the life of Australian swimming legend Annette Kellerman.

The numbers man

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2011

Dr. Sarah Engledow tells the story of Australia's first Federal statistician, Sir George Knibbs.

My father-in-law watering his garden, 1986 by Davida Allen

Lovingly observed

Magazine article by Tom Fryer, 2021

Sarah Engledow previews the beguiling summer exhibition, Idle hours.

Face House – Kyoto, Japan Architect: Kazumasa Yamashita

Alter ego

Tom Fryer surveys the twentieth-century architectural project, and finds representation and the portrait were integral elements.

Beguiling impressions

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2012

Sarah Engledow is seduced by the portraits and the connections between the artists and their subjects in the exhibition Impressions: Painting light and life.

Big bouquet of Blackmans

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2013

Dr. Sarah Engledow explores the context surrounding Charles Blackman's portrait of Judith Wright, Jack McKinney and their daughter Meredith.

Faces of war

Lecture, 14 May 2011

Magazine article by Jane Raffan, 2013

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.

What price self?

Jane Raffan investigates auction sales of self portraits nationally and internationally.

Getting a head

Magazine article by Alexandra Roginski, 2015

Alexandra Roginski gets a feel for phrenology’s fundamentals.

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).

The art of multiplicity

Magazine article by Meredith Hughes, 2019

Meredith Hughes explores a key Portrait Gallery work, emerging into the infinite iterations of identity.

Christmas Island

This is my last Trumbology before, in a little more than a week from now, I pass to my successor Karen Quinlan the precious baton of the Directorship of the National Portrait Gallery.

Lucy Culliton

Magazine article by Aimee Board, 2017

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.

Woman with Fair Hair and Pink Cardigan, 1949 by John Perceval.

The family scene

Magazine article, 2016

Traudi Allen discovers sensitivity, humour and fine draughtsmanship in the portraiture of John Perceval.

Progressive pictures

Athol Shmith’s photographs contributed to the emergence of a new vision of Australian womanhood.

NPPP 2016 exhibition essay

Penny Grist, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2016 Prize.

Through blue eyes

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2016

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.

Waterfall in Australia, c. 1830 by Augustus Earle

Augustus serendipitous

The London-born son of an American painter, Augustus Earle ended up in Australia by accident in January 1825.

Love City; George Gittoes on hilltop 2013

Man of war

Magazine article by Tedi Bills, 2016

Tedi Bills talks to George Gittoes about canvassing conflict.

Lady Jane Grey, c.1590-1600 (also known as The ‘Streatham’ portrait) Artist unknown

The Royal she

Magazine article by Inga Walton, 2019

Traversing paint and pixels, Inga Walton examines portraits of select women in Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits.

Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)

An actress and her fans

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2008

Dr. Sarah Engledow discovers the amazing life of Ms. Hilda Spong, little remembered star of the stage, who was captured in a portrait by Tom Roberts.

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, 1885-86 by
John Singer Sargent

A feast of friends

Magazine article by Richard Ormond, 2015

John Singer Sargent: a painter at the vanguard of contemporary movements in music, literature and theatre.

Portfolio of 54 portraits compiled by Queen Victoria, 1859–1861 by John Jabez Edwin Mayall, Camille Silvy, Frances Day and William Bambridge

Queen of cartes

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2019

Joanna Gilmour discusses the role of the carte de visite in portraiture’s democratisation, and its harnessing by Victoria, the world’s first media monarch.

Secure the shadow ere the substance fade

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2015

The tragic tale of Tom Wills, the ‘inventor’ of Australian Rules Football.

Regarding Henrys

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2016

Sarah Engledow ponders the divergent legacies of Messrs Kendall and Lawson.

Cachasunghia, Osage Warrior 1804–06 by Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin

Political profiles

Joanna Gilmour examines the prolific output of Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin, and discovers the risk of taking a portrait at face value.

Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and David R. L. Litchfield at Villa Favorita, Lugano, Switzerland, 1989 © Nicola Graydo

The Thyssen Art Macabre

Books seldom make me angry but this one did. At first, I was powerfully struck by the uncanny parallels that existed between the Mellons of Pittsburgh and the Thyssens of the Ruhr through the same period, essentially the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

Thrown together

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2019

Shipmates for years, James Cook and Joseph Banks each kept a journal but neither man shed light on their relationship.

Helen Blaxland judging flower arrangements, c. 1940s photographer unknown

Petal to the mettle

Sarah Engledow lauds the very civil service of Dame Helen Blaxland.

Group photograph taken at the coronation of King George VI including Queen Elizabeth II, Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Queen Mother, 12 May 1937 by Hay Wrightson

Poise and Carats

I keep going back to Cartier: The Exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia next door, and, within the exhibition, to Princess Marie Louise’s diamond, pearl and sapphire Indian tiara (1923), surely one of the most superb head ornaments ever conceived.

A non-material and non-physical portrait

Lecture, 21 May 2011

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

Less than six degrees of separation

Lecture, 28 May 2011