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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.

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Studio self-portrait, 2018 Vincent Namatjira OAM

Studio self-portrait

Vincent Namatjira OAM

Portrait 48

This issue features Abdul Abdullah, Sam Leach, Sonia McMahon, Rod McNicol, The National Photographic Portrait Prize and more.

Les Bury

Hon. Les Bury CMG

Hon Les Bury CMG (1913-1986), politician, was member for Wentworth in Sydney’s eastern suburbs from 1956 to 1974.

1 portrait in the collection

Whitlam & Snedden

Sir Billy Snedden KCMG

Sir Billy Snedden KCMG QC (1926-1987), politician, was elected as a federal member in 1955.

1 portrait in the collection

image not online

Victor Greenhalgh

Victor Greenhalgh (1900-1983) was a sculptor and teacher who greatly influenced tertiary art education; he was one of the first Victorian sculptors to adopt a modern style.

5 portraits in the collection

Herbert Cole 'Nugget' Coombs

H.C. Coombs

Herbert Cole ('Nugget') Coombs (1906–1997) was the governor of the Commonwealth (later Reserve) Bank of Australia from 1949 to 1968.

3 portraits in the collection

image not online

Esther Erlich

Esther Erlich (b. 1955), a Melbourne-based painter, has been exhibiting since the early 1980s, often with the Libby Edwards Galleries in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and the Barry Newton Gallery in Adelaide.

3 portraits in the collection

John Gorton

John Gorton

John Gorton

John Gorton, 1997

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002

image not online

Head of H.C. Coombs, c. 1972 (cast 2018)

Portrait, bronze

Purchased 2018

Rt Hon. Sir Robert Menzies

Rt Hon. Sir Robert Menzies

Rt Hon. Sir Robert Menzies

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

Whitlam & Snedden

Whitlam & Snedden

Whitlam & Snedden

Whitlam & Snedden, 1974

Portrait, fibre-tipped pen on paper

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

Portrait of Mr Frank Packer

Sir Frank Packer

Sir Douglas Frank Hewson Packer KBE (1906-1974), media proprietor, grew up in Sydney and became a cadet journalist on the Daily Guardian, owned by his father RC Packer, in 1923.

2 portraits in the collection

image not online

Dr Sarah Engledow

Dr Sarah Engledow was appointed Historian at the National Portrait Gallery in 1999.

Cooey: an Australian song

Cooey! An Australian Song

About Face article

"Coo-ey, Coo-ey, Coo-ey, Coo-ey—Love has caught the strain, Coo-ey, Coo-ey, Coo-ey, Coo-ey—it whispers back again." The “Australian lady” who composed these fruity lyrics was none other than Desda— Jane Davies, sometime Messiter (née Price) of Leddicott, Lavender Bay.

Bob Hawke

Primed

Some Prime Ministers

Previous exhibition, 2019

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

George Reid paperweight

Some prime ministers

General content

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

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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 past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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