The collection display includes a wide selection of portraits that tell extraordinary stories of encounter, exploration, independence, individuality and achievement in Australia.

Take a 30 minute tour of the Portrait Gallery exploring the collection and the building.

The Darling Portrait Prize is a biennial national prize for Australian portrait painting honouring the legacy of Mr L Gordon Darling AC CMG (1921-2015). The winner receives a cash prize of $75,000.

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.

Little Darlings is for primary and secondary students, with four separate categories across Kindergarten to Year 12. Responding to the theme ‘identity’, students painted, drew, photographed, printed or combined all of these to make their portrait.

Experience the very best new portrait paintings and photographs from across Australia.

Join us in the Gallery as we share the stories behind the photographs and paintings in the National Photographic Portrait Prize, Darling Portrait Prize and Little Darlings.

I Progetti Chamber Choir, directed by Charis Messalina de Valence, invites you to share in this musical offering as they explore new, unfamiliar and infrequently-performed choral music.

A film that celebrates the love, lives and creative collaboration of artists Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter as they prepare and perform at the premiere of Kura Tungar—Songs from the River.

Lunch? Just a snack? Come nibble on some of this year’s cutest entries of the National Photographic Portrait Prize, Darling Portrait Prize, and the Little Darlings!

Join us in the Gallery as we explore the collection with our tour for visitors who are blind or have low vision. Sighted companions and guide dogs are more than welcome.

Join Darling Portrait Prize 2022 finalist Melissa Clements and discover the alchemy of colour mixing to create varied and luminous flesh.

Join Darling Portrait Prize 2022 finalist Melissa Clements and discover the alchemy of colour mixing to create varied and luminous flesh.

Did you know we have over 20 portraits of Academy Award winners in our collection? Join Georgina, our Social Media and Content Coordinator, as she discusses her second and third favourite things (after socials, of course): films and the famous people who work on them.

Draw while listening to a gentle sound work based on mandolin and electronics with sound artist Lynden Bassett.

Join us as we explore the story of three commercial art galleries, their gallerists and the significant contribution they make to the arts in Australia.

Our popular art cart is back for the school holidays! This is where you can get all creative during your visit if the mood takes you, responding to our latest exhibition the National Photographic Portrait Prize.

Explore portraits through drawing and creative activity in the galleries.

Art as activism! Join us as we explore how portraiture can depict strength and activism at work, and also be a form of activism in itself.

Little Faces is for babies and toddlers (with their grown up) to play, sing and have fun discovering a portrait together.

Little Faces is for babies and toddlers (with their grown up) to play, sing and have fun discovering a portrait together.

Little Faces is for babies and toddlers (with their grown up) to play, sing and have fun discovering a portrait together.