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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.

The Gallery’s Acknowledgement of Country, and information on culturally sensitive and restricted content and the use of historic language in the collection can be found here.

Thanacoupie

1981
Juno Gemes

gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper (sheet: 60.8 cm x 51.0 cm, image: 44.2 cm x 30.3 cm)

Thanacoupie AO (1937–2011), ceramic artist, community worker, elder, and spokesperson, grew up as Gloria Fletcher in North Queensland. There, she came into contact with painters including Dick Roughsey, with whom she held her first exhibition of paintings in 1968. In 1970 she visited East Sydney Technical College and became enchanted with ceramics, enrolling in a three year certificate course and becoming the first Aboriginal solo ceramic artist. At this time she reclaimed her totemic name, which means wattle flower (it was spelled Thancoupie until 1987, when she decided it would be better spelled Thanacoupie). For thirty years she was the foremost Aboriginal potter and ceramic sculptor, expressing her relationship with the land, living things and the elements through a medium that was used only for ceremonial purposes and decoration in her native community. The spherical sculpture on the grass near the front entrance of the adjacent National Gallery of Australia is by Thanacoupie. She held sixteen solo exhibitions and numerous group shows throughout Australia and abroad, and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Queensland in 1998.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2004
© Juno Gemes/Copyright Agency, 2024

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

Artist and subject

Juno Gemes (age 37 in 1981)

Thanacoupie (age 44 in 1981)

Subject professions

Visual arts and crafts

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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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.

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.

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