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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

Daddy Cool, Melbourne
Daddy Cool, Melbourne
Daddy Cool, Melbourne

Daddy Cool, Melbourne, 1974

Rennie Ellis
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper

Purchased 2005

Ian Roberts (after Coypel 1709)
Ian Roberts (after Coypel 1709)
Ian Roberts (after Coypel 1709)

Ian Roberts (after Coypel 1709), 2003

Ross Watson
Portrait, oil on composition board

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

Eagle Ross (Ross Wilson)
Eagle Ross (Ross Wilson)
Eagle Ross (Ross Wilson)

Eagle Ross (Ross Wilson), 2005

Tessa Jones
Portrait, oil on canvas

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Ross Edwards
Ross Edwards
Ross Edwards

Ross Edwards, 2013

Bridget Elliot
Portrait, type C photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2013
To mark the 70th birthday of composer Ross Edwards (23 December 2013)

The Boss, Ross Wilson
The Boss, Ross Wilson
The Boss, Ross Wilson

The Boss, Ross Wilson, 2009

Chris Budgeon
Portrait, type C photograph on paper

Collection: National Portriat Gallery
Gift of the artist 2011

Joshua Ross
Joshua Ross
Joshua Ross

Joshua Ross, 2006

Sahlan Hayes
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on resin-coated paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2006

Daddy Cool, Melbourne

Now Listen...

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2005

Artist Tessa Jones recalls creating her portrait of Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock singer and music producer, Ross Wilson.

David Gulpilil's Hands
David Gulpilil's Hands
David Gulpilil's Hands

David Gulpilil's Hands, 2004

Ross Honeysett
Portrait, photographic print from film on paper

Gift of the artist 2021

Roslyn
Roslyn
Roslyn

Roslyn, 2016

Sally Ross
Portrait, oil on linen

Purchased 2017

Untitled #21/09 (after Ricci, 1700; featuring Matthew Mitcham)
Untitled #21/09 (after Ricci, 1700; featuring Matthew Mitcham)
Untitled #21/09 (after Ricci, 1700; featuring Matthew Mitcham)

Untitled #21/09 (after Ricci, 1700; featuring Matthew Mitcham), 2009

Ross Watson
Portrait, oil on board

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

Noah Taylor
Noah Taylor
Noah Taylor

Noah Taylor, 1994 (printed 2010)

Ross Honeysett
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2010

Ian Roberts (after Coypel 1709)

Super League

Magazine article by David Sequeira, 2004

The portrait of Ian Roberts by Ross Watson.

Reverend Robert Ross MD, Sydney, New South Wales
Reverend Robert Ross MD, Sydney, New South Wales
Reverend Robert Ross MD, Sydney, New South Wales

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

John Cochran after Henry Room
Portrait, engraving on paper

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

Portrait of Mr W.M. Hughes, Prime Minister of Australia
Portrait of Mr W.M. Hughes, Prime Minister of Australia
Portrait of Mr W.M. Hughes, Prime Minister of Australia

Portrait of Mr W.M. Hughes, Prime Minister of Australia, 1916

J H Barratt & Co Ltd, Stoke-on-Trent
Portrait, photographic image on glazed ceramic tile

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Ian Ross 2001

The Memoirs of George Barrington
The Memoirs of George Barrington
The Memoirs of George Barrington

The Memoirs of George Barrington, 1790

an unknown artist, J Bird & Simmonds
Portrait, octavo in fours, with an engraved frontispiece

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2008

image not online

Sir Garfield Barwick, 1972

Reg Campbell
Portrait, oil on canvas

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Ross G Barwick and family 2013
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Portrait of Troppo Architects, 2009

Thinking about architecture and portraiture

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2009

Dr Christopher Chapman describes the experimental exhibition Portraits + Architecture

Sir Edward Eyre Williams
Sir Edward Eyre Williams
Sir Edward Eyre Williams

Sir Edward Eyre Williams, 1872

Thomas Foster Chuck
Portrait, albumen silver photograph, hand coloured on paper

Gift of Ross and Judy O'Connell 2016

Sir George Grey, Governor of New Zealand
Sir George Grey, Governor of New Zealand
Sir George Grey, Governor of New Zealand

Sir George Grey, Governor of New Zealand, 1861

William-Wolfe Alais
Portrait, engraving on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2008

Study for portrait of Nicholas Paspaley Jnr
Study for portrait of Nicholas Paspaley Jnr
Study for portrait of Nicholas Paspaley Jnr

Study for portrait of Nicholas Paspaley Jnr, 2018

Andrew Bonneau
Portrait, pencil and white pastel on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned with funds provided by Ross Adler AC 2018

Sidney Nolan
Sidney Nolan
Sidney Nolan

Sidney Nolan, 1982

Albert Tucker
Portrait, synthetic polymer paint on canvas board

Purchased with funds provided by Ross Adler AC 2022

Portrait of CO-AP, 2009 by Ross Honeysett

CO-AP

General content

Based in Sydney, CO-AP endeavour to realise unique outcomes for each project, achieved through a strong and reliable collaborative process.

Emily Fairfax
Emily Fairfax
Emily Fairfax

Emily Fairfax, 1870

William Macleod
Portrait, oil on canvas laid on board

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of John Fairfax Holdings Ltd 2002
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane
General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane
General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane

General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1850 (published)

James Faed, W Wilding after John Watson Gordon
Portrait, mezzotint on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2008

Gil Askey, 2011 by Titian Scheffer

Gil Askey, 2011

by Titian Scheffer
Image
James, 2009 by Nicole Marie

James, 2009

by Nicole Marie
Image
image not online

Donors

$10,000 - $49,999
Honour board
Martha Kermode
Martha Kermode
Martha Kermode

Martha Kermode, c. 1840

Henry Mundy
Portrait, oil on canvas

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

Robert Kermode
Robert Kermode
Robert Kermode

Robert Kermode, c. 1840

Henry Mundy
Portrait, oil on canvas

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

Self portrait
Self portrait
Self portrait

Self portrait, 1894

Livingston Hopkins
Portrait, etching on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2008

Stan Coster, Manilla, NSW
Stan Coster, Manilla, NSW
Stan Coster, Manilla, NSW

Stan Coster, Manilla, NSW, 1994 (printed 2004)

John Elliott
Portrait, type C photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005

Y-erran-gou-la-ga
Y-erran-gou-la-ga
Y-erran-gou-la-ga

Y-erran-gou-la-ga, published 1807

Nicolas-Martin Petit after Barthélemy Roger
Portrait, engraving, hand coloured on paper

Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2008

Portrait of Captain John Hunter
Portrait of Captain John Hunter
Portrait of Captain John Hunter

Portrait of Captain John Hunter, 1792

Daniel Orme after Robert Dighton
Portrait, stipple engraving on paper

Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2008

Two grounps of three people standing in a studio with walls and shelves filled with artworks

Arts Project Australia

Artists and Collectives

Arts Project Australia is a creative social enterprise based in Naarm/Melbourne that supports neurodiverse artists, promoting their work and advocating for inclusion within contemporary arts practice.

JS Study 1
JS Study 1
JS Study 1

JS Study 1, 2014

Jasper Knight
Portrait, enamel and synthetic polymer paint on conservation card

Gift of Ross Steele AM 2021. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

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

Edith Ellen Williams
Edith Ellen Williams
Edith Ellen Williams

Edith Ellen Williams, c. 1871

Johnstone O'Shannessy & Co
Portrait, albumen silver photograph, hand coloured on paper

Gift of Ross and Judy O'Connell 2016

Sir Hartley Williams
Sir Hartley Williams
Sir Hartley Williams

Sir Hartley Williams, c. 1871

Johnstone O'Shannessy & Co
Portrait, albumen silver photograph, hand coloured on paper

Gift of Ross and Judy O'Connell 2016

Portrait of Mrs Sarah Fairfax
Portrait of Mrs Sarah Fairfax
Portrait of Mrs Sarah Fairfax

Portrait of Mrs Sarah Fairfax, c. 1864

Edwin Dalton
Portrait, pastel on paper laid on canvas

Gift of John Fairfax Holdings Ltd 2002. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Gordon and Marilyn Darling

Honour board

Support your Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges and thanks all its supporters.

Nicholas Paspaley Jnr

Nicholas Paspaley Jnr, 2018

by Andrew Bonneau
General content

Commissioned with funds provided by Ross Adler AC 2018

Portrait of Bennilong, Native of New Holland
Portrait of Bennilong, Native of New Holland
Portrait of Bennilong, Native of New Holland

Portrait of Bennilong, Native of New Holland, c. 1798

an unknown artist
Portrait, engraving on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2008

Margel and Tarquin, Canberra
Margel and Tarquin, Canberra
Margel and Tarquin, Canberra

Margel and Tarquin, Canberra, c. 1945

Frank Hinder
Portrait, pen and ink, brush and ink and pencil on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by the Ross family in memory of Noel and Enid Eliot 2014

Nicholas Paspaley Jnr
Nicholas Paspaley Jnr
Nicholas Paspaley Jnr

Nicholas Paspaley Jnr, 2018

Andrew Bonneau
Portrait, oil on canvas

Commissioned with funds provided by Ross Adler AC 2018

Orlando and Wilson, 2021 Chris Budgeon

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.

Chris Wallace-Crabbe

2014-15 Acquisition Fund

Annual Appeal

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

Cressida Campbell
Cressida Campbell
Cressida Campbell

Cressida Campbell, 2001

Greg Weight
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

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

Cour-rou-bari-gal
Cour-rou-bari-gal
Cour-rou-bari-gal

Cour-rou-bari-gal, 1807

Nicolas-Martin Petit after Barthélemy Roger
Portrait, engraving, hand coloured on paper

Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2008

Shane Warne

Flash

Australian Athletes in Focus
Previous exhibition, 2006

Introduction The National Portrait Gallery’s photographic exhibition Flash: Australian Athletes in Focus explores various interpretations of Australian sporting men and women.

Self portrait
Self portrait
Self portrait

Self portrait, 1976 (printed 2005)

David Malin
Portrait, type C photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005

Sir Ian McLennan
Sir Ian McLennan
Sir Ian McLennan

Sir Ian McLennan, c. 1978

Bryan Westwood
Portrait, oil on board

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

Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane
Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane
Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane

Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1842

Frederick Bromley after Robert Frain
Portrait, mezzotint on paper

Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2008

Self portrait
Self portrait
Self portrait

Self portrait, 1921

Thea Proctor
Portrait, lithograph on paper

Purchased with funds provided by the Ross family in memory of Noel and Enid Eliot 2013

William John Wills, 2nd in command of the Victorian Expedition
William John Wills, 2nd in command of the Victorian Expedition
William John Wills, 2nd in command of the Victorian Expedition

William John Wills, 2nd in command of the Victorian Expedition, 1860-1861

Henry Samuel Sadd, Fergusson & Mitchell, Melbourne after Thomas Adams Hill
Portrait, mezzotint on paper

Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2007

Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Miller

Keith Miller, early 1950s (printed 2008)

Max Dupain OBE
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

Purchased 2008

Rosaleen Norton, Witch of Kings Cross

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.

Thomas Sutcliffe Mort and his wife Theresa

Husbands and Wives

Photographic Portraits from 19th Century Australia
Previous exhibition, 2010

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

Margaret Whitlam

Open Air

Portraits in the Landscape
Previous exhibition, 2008

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

Robert O'Hara Burke, Leader of the Victorian Expedition
Robert O'Hara Burke, Leader of the Victorian Expedition
Robert O'Hara Burke, Leader of the Victorian Expedition

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

Henry Samuel Sadd, Fergusson & Mitchell, Melbourne after Thomas Adams Hill
Portrait, mezzotint on paper

Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2007

image not online

Annual Appeal

Listed by year
Honour board
Lucy Escott
Lucy Escott
Lucy Escott

Lucy Escott, c. 1861

Dalton's Royal Photographic Gallery
Portrait, albumen silver carte de visite, hand coloured on card

Purchased 2009

The Dance - David McAllister

Home is where the art is

About Face article

Tedi Bills on how social media in the age of COVID-19 has fanned the flames of our portrait fascination.

Hugo at home (Hugo Weaving)

Nicholas Harding

28 Portraits
Previous exhibition, 2017

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.

Reg Richardson AM

2015-17 Acquisition Fund

Annual Appeal

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.

Tim Winton

2020 Annual Appeal

Annual Appeal

In 2020 the Annual Appeal was focussed on Sally Robinson's remarkable portrait of author Tim Winton.

Henry Squires
Henry Squires
Henry Squires

Henry Squires, c. 1861

Dalton's Royal Photographic Gallery
Portrait, albumen silver carte de visite, hand coloured on card

Purchased 2009

George Barrington, c.1785

Celebrity cutpurse

Magazine article by Dr Grace Blakeley-Carroll, 2010

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

Megan Gale

Glamour vs grunge

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2010

Christopher Chapman examines the battle of glamour vs. grunge which played out in the fashion and advertising of the 1990s.

Lindy Lee

The long game

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2020

Penelope Grist spends some quality time with the Portrait Gallery’s summer collection exhibition, Eye to Eye.

Ned Kelly death mask

Sideshow Alley

Infamy, the macabre & the portrait
Previous exhibition, 2015

Death masks, post-mortem drawings and other spooky and disquieting portraits... Come and see how portraits of infamous Australians were used in the 19th century.

Self portrait with glove

To Look Within

Self Portraits in Australia
Previous exhibition, 2004

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

image not online

Portrait Donors

Listed by year
Honour board
Caroline Pileggi

Ready , set... shoot

Magazine article by Christine Clark, 2006

The exhibition Flash: Australian Athletes in Focus offers various interpretations of sporting men and women by five Australian photographers.

Sammy Dodd

2022 Annual Appeal

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.

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

Embrace your inner nerd

About Face article

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.

Mary Ann Lawrence, 1841

Fits of delicacy and despair

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2009

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

Frank Fenner AC CMG MBE

The highest honour

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2007

Bringing eminent scientist Frank Fenner and artist Jude Rae together for the National Portrait Gallery commission was like matchmaking.

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

Black and white history

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2009

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

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.

Christmas Island

About Face article

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.

Surfing, Noosa, 1970s Stuart Spence

The play’s the thing

About Face article

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

Kinky Night. Impressions Club, 1987

Aussies all

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2006

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

Self portrait

Give me five

Magazine article by Karen Quinlan AM, 2021

National Portrait Gallery director Karen Quinlan AM nominates her quintet of favourites from the collection, with early twentieth-century ‘selfies’ filling the roster.

The Conciliation, 1840 by Benjamin Duterrau

The art of conciliation

Magazine article by Gareth Knapman, 2017

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

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

Lovingly observed

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2009

Sarah Engledow previews the beguiling summer exhibition, Idle hours.

20/20 launch speech

About Face article

Dr Helen Nugent AO, Chairman, National Portrait Gallery at the opening of 20/20: Celebrating twenty years with twenty new portrait commissions.

Untitled #21/09 (after Ricci, 1700; featuring Matthew Mitcham)

Getting bare

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2015

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

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.

David Marr, 2011 by Nicholas Harding

Nicholas Harding: 28 Portraits

Exhibition essay
General content

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

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
King Edward Terrace, Parkes
Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia

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

The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency