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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.

What's on

Sunday 1 October – Tuesday 31 October 2023

Play on (A portrait of Neale Daniher)
Play on (A portrait of Neale Daniher)
Play on (A portrait of Neale Daniher)
Play on (A portrait of Neale Daniher)

Collection Highlights Tour

2:15pm, Daily until Sun 31 Dec

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

Bookings available
Marea Gazzard
Marea Gazzard
Marea Gazzard
Marea Gazzard

The Iconoclasts

In Gallery Three

Exhibition open every day

Australian portraiture of the mid-twentieth century was rich with the influence of European modernism, exemplified by the work of artists including Arthur Boyd, Judy Cassab and Clifton Pugh.

Mary Chomley
Mary Chomley
Mary Chomley
Mary Chomley

The Cosmopolitans

In Gallery Two

Exhibition closes 31 March

Spanning the 1880s to the 1930s, this collection display celebrates the innovations in art – and life – introduced by the generation of Australians who travelled to London and Paris for experience and inspiration in the decades either side of 1900.

Self portrait, 2022 RJ Parker
Self portrait, 2022 RJ Parker
Self portrait, 2022 RJ Parker
Self portrait, 2022 RJ Parker

Gulgawarnigu

Thinking of something, someone

Exhibition closes 2 October

In partnership with Big hART we are proud to present Gulgawarnigu - Thinking of something, someone, a national presentation of digital artworks created from Ngarluma country leramagadu (Roebourne), in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Ruby (left view), 2022 Shea Kirk
Ruby (left view), 2022 Shea Kirk
Ruby (left view), 2022 Shea Kirk
Ruby (left view), 2022 Shea Kirk

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023

Exhibition closes 2 October

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.

Bookings available
Brave New World, 2022 Heidi Margocsy
Brave New World, 2022 Heidi Margocsy
Brave New World, 2022 Heidi Margocsy
Brave New World, 2022 Heidi Margocsy

National Photographic Portrait Prize highlights tour

11:15am, Daily until Mon 2 Oct

After you have booked your paid exhibition ticket, join us in the Gallery for a 30-minute tour of the National Photographic Portrait Prize to hear more about the artists’ vision and stories of their subjects.

Bookings available
An Afternoon (Aunty Jenny Munro at the Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy)
An Afternoon (Aunty Jenny Munro at the Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy)
An Afternoon (Aunty Jenny Munro at the Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy)
An Afternoon (Aunty Jenny Munro at the Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy)

This is my place

In Gallery Four

Exhibition open every day

We all have places where we feel at ease, a sense of belonging, of ownership, of relaxation, of self. Given the opportunity, portraitists love to place their sitters in an environment where they are most at home.

Self portrait
Self portrait
Self portrait
Self portrait

Self portrait: Myself and I

In Gallery Five

Exhibition open every day

Encompassing works created over the past 80 years, this selection of portraits from the Gallery’s collection celebrates inventiveness and diversity in approaches to self portraiture.

Cathy Freeman
Cathy Freeman
Cathy Freeman
Cathy Freeman

Frocked up

In Gallery Six

Exhibition open every day

The selection of works in Frocked up richly demonstrates the interconnectedness of costume and portraiture – and the many ways in which artists have employed the representation of dress to powerful, insightful effect.

Art cart
Art cart
Art cart
Art cart

Art Cart

Daily, drop-in activity

Shake off that frosty winter, dodge the magpies, and get creative with us this spring! Drop-in any time with family and friends for free craft activities.

Salar Ayoubi Photo by Moein Hasheminasab
Salar Ayoubi Photo by Moein Hasheminasab
Salar Ayoubi Photo by Moein Hasheminasab
Salar Ayoubi Photo by Moein Hasheminasab

Drawn in

Salar Ayoubi

1:00pm, Sun 1 Oct

Draw while listening to live music by Salar Ayoubi, an Iranian oud player, performing Persian and Kurdish songs.

Joseph Brown
Joseph Brown
Joseph Brown
Joseph Brown

Portrait Play

Arty Animals

10:30am, Tue 3 Oct until Fri 6 Oct

Come on an animal adventure these school holidays and meet some furry friends, cool critters and pet portraits. We’ll be looking, chatting and creating our way through the Gallery, and please, don’t feed the animals!

Bookings required
Helena Rubinstein in a red brocade Balenciaga gown
Helena Rubinstein in a red brocade Balenciaga gown
Helena Rubinstein in a red brocade Balenciaga gown
Helena Rubinstein in a red brocade Balenciaga gown

Virtual Highlight Tour

Floral Portraits

12:30pm, Tue 3 Oct
Live online

Take your antihistamines and join us as we flounce into spring by looking at floral patterns in a bunch of portraits. Try not to sneeze!

Bookings required
Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)
Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)
Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)
Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)

October Spotlight Series

9:15am, Wed 4 Oct

This month, Curator Emma Kindred will be taking a look at Tom Roberts’ portrait of Hilda Spong.

Bookings required
The Chalk Rainbow by Deborah Kelly and Gwynneth Jones
The Chalk Rainbow by Deborah Kelly and Gwynneth Jones
The Chalk Rainbow by Deborah Kelly and Gwynneth Jones
The Chalk Rainbow by Deborah Kelly and Gwynneth Jones

Story Time Online

The Chalk Rainbow

11:00am, Wed 4 Oct
Live online

Celebrate difference and diversity by listening to a reading of The Chalk Rainbow by Deborah Kelly and Gwynneth Jones. After hearing this story about Zane who has Autism, you’ll have the chance to make a colourful creative response.

Bookings required
Kerry Walker
Kerry Walker
Kerry Walker
Kerry Walker

Virtual Highlight Tour

NPG X NFSA

12:30pm, Tue 10 Oct
Live online

Join the National Film and Sound Archives’ Programs and Visitor Experience Manager, Travis Green, as he chats about Australian actor Kerry Walker, her impact on the industry, and why he loves her portrait.

Bookings required
Self portrait
Self portrait
Self portrait
Self portrait

Women in photography

2:00pm, Fridays between
13 Oct and 27 Oct
Live online

Join us and our NGA friends over three sessions and take a deep dive into six leading Australian women photographers. Register via DART.

Bookings required
Leisel Jones
Leisel Jones
Leisel Jones
Leisel Jones

Virtual Highlight Tour

Frocked Up

12:30pm, Tue 17 Oct
Live online

Pop on your finest and join us for Virtual Highlights Couture as we try on three artworks from our current collection hang, Frocked up.

Bookings required
Cathy Freeman
Cathy Freeman
Cathy Freeman
Cathy Freeman

Audio-described tour

1:00pm, Thu 19 Oct

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

Bookings required
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939

Members' preview

Archie 100

2:00pm, Thu 19 Oct

Join Joanna Gilmour, Senior Curator, National Portrait Gallery, to be the first to see Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize. You’ll get an introduction to the exhibition, the chance to ask questions, and then some free time in the exhibition space.

Bookings required
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939

Archie 100

A Century of the Archibald Prize

Exhibition opens 20 October

This major exhibition celebrates 100 years of Australia’s oldest and most-loved portrait award and reflects upon the changing face of our nation.

Bookings available
Chris Wallace-Crabbe
Chris Wallace-Crabbe
Chris Wallace-Crabbe
Chris Wallace-Crabbe

Relaxed mornings

9:00am, Sun 22 Oct

Explore the main collection before our usual opening hours. We welcome anyone of any age who would benefit from a more relaxed gallery experience. We’ll have low sensory spaces, quiet areas and a creative activity for families to enjoy together.

Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)
Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)
Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)
Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)

Little faces

10:30am, Wed 25 Oct

Do we have a treat for the smaller humans in your life! Little Faces is for babies and toddlers (with their grown up) to play, sing and have fun discovering a portrait together.

Bookings required
Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)
Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)
Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)
Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)

Little faces

10:30am, Thu 26 Oct

Do we have a treat for the smaller humans in your life! Little Faces is for babies and toddlers (with their grown up) to play, sing and have fun discovering a portrait together.

Bookings required
Vincent Namatjira OAM Studio self-portrait 2018
Vincent Namatjira OAM Studio self-portrait 2018
Vincent Namatjira OAM Studio self-portrait 2018
Vincent Namatjira OAM Studio self-portrait 2018

Archie 100: Online Workshop

Classroom Learner Year 3–6

2:00pm, Thu 26 Oct
Live online

Bring us and Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize to your classroom with this virtual excursion.

Bookings required
Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)
Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)
Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)
Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)

Little faces

9:30am, 10:30am, Fri 27 Oct

Do we have a treat for the smaller humans in your life! Little Faces is for babies and toddlers (with their grown up) to play, sing and have fun discovering a portrait together.

Bookings required
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939
Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939

Archie after hours

6:00pm, Fri 27 Oct

Join us to celebrate the launch of Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize.

Bookings required
Self portrait with gladioli
Self portrait with gladioli
Self portrait with gladioli
Self portrait with gladioli

Virtual Highlight Tour

Oh George

12:30pm, Tue 31 Oct
Live online

Join our Senior Curator Joanna Gilmour as she explores the life of celebrated portraitist George Lambert. You’ll be glad(ioli) you did.

Bookings required

More events

Wednesday 1 November – Thursday 30 November 2023
© National Portrait Gallery 2023
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