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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.

Search / emile sherman

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

Presence and Absence

Portrait Sculpture in Australia

Previous exhibition, 2003

This exhibition focuses on exploring national and communal identity through sculptural production in Australia, from the early decades of settlement through to the present day

Lan Wang

Lan Wang

Lan Wang

Lan Wang, 2011

Portrait, inkjet print on paper

Purchased with funds provided by Dr Gene Sherman AM 2016

Jiawei Shen

Jiawei Shen

Jiawei Shen

Jiawei Shen, 2011

Portrait, inkjet print on paper

Purchased with funds provided by Dr Gene Sherman AM 2016

Pimple, 2007 by Yang Na

Yang Na

Featured Artists

Born 1983, Chongqing, Sichuan Province. Lives and works in Beijing.

Past, present, future, 2002 by Wang Qingsong
M+ Sigg Collection

Chinese Art

General content

A short overview of modern Chinese art from 1949 to the present.

Style Over Substance 2020 (still), 2020 The Huxleys

Observation point

Magazine article by The Huxleys, 2022

Growing up feeling isolated, ostracised and ornate in the heated homogeny of the suburbs of Perth and the Gold Coast we often longed and dreamed for an escape.

East Village, Beijing no. 20 (Zhang Huan, 12 Square Metres), 1994 by Rong Rong

Rong Rong

Featured Artists

Born Li Zhirong 1968, Zhangzhou, Fujian Province. Lives and works in Beijing.

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.

Uli Sigg

About the exhibition

General content

Portraits from the Sigg collection, from 1979 to the present including painting, sculpture, photography, video and installation.

Born 1989 in Beijing (250%), 1995–96 by Liu Wei

Liu Wei

Featured Artists

Born 1965 in Beijing. Lives and works in Beijing.

Hardtmuth 'Hottie' Lahm

Hottie's Snifter to port

Magazine article by Peter Jeffrey, 2016

Peter Jeffrey trips the hound nostalgic.

Red child, 2005 by Zhang Xiaogang

Zhang Xiaogang

Featured Artists

Born 1958, Kunming, Yunnan Province. Lives and works in Beijing.

15 minutes of frame

NPG London, Scotland and Australia, 28 January 2021

Recorded virtual programs

Delve into the lives, loves and labour of the world’s most prominent portrait galleries in this international conversation series.

She – Unemployed Girl, 2003 by Yu Hong

Yu Hong

Featured Artists

Born 1966 in Beijing, China. Lives and works in Beijing.

Marcia Langton

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.

Marcia Langton

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.

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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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