Marri Ngarr artist Ryan Presley's site-specific commission Paradise won is prominently positioned at the Gallery’s entrance. This ambitious new work invites conversations about the ongoing legacies of colonisation and celebrates First Nations survival and autonomy.

Launched at the National Portrait Gallery in 2022, the Little Darlings Youth Portrait Prize is a competition for primary and secondary students, with four separate age categories across Kindergarten to Year 12.

The Darling Portrait Prize is a biennial national prize for Australian portrait painting honouring the legacy of Mr L Gordon Darling AC CMG.

The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2024 celebrates established and emerging artistic talent from across the country.

The exhibition is a vibrant and dynamic exhibition by acclaimed contemporary artist Joan Ross. Transforming scenes from colonial artworks through a digital ‘cut and paste’ technique and her signature fluorescent yellow, Ross explores critical issues like climate change, greed and consumerism.

The Some Lads series powerfully and playfully depicts Russell Page, Larrakia man Gary Lang, Muruwari man Matthew Doyle, and Graham Blanco, a descendant of the Mer (Murray Island) people.

Drawn from the National Portrait Gallery collection, this salon-style hang references the lavish 18th- and 19th-century European salons where paintings were hung floor-to-ceiling.

Experience the vibrant flowers and foliage in our Western Courtyard through drawing and observation.

Carol Jerrems: Portraits is a major exhibition of one of Australia’s most influential photographers. Jerrems’ intimate portraits of friends, lovers and artistic peers transcend the purely personal and have come to shape Australian visual culture.

This show, staged alongside the major exhibition Carol Jerrems: Portraits, spotlights the work of three contemporary Australian artists whose work sits in dialogue with Jerrems’ legacy.

Join us in the Gallery as we explore our latest exhibition Carol Jerrems: Portraits and its key themes. Discover how Jerrems’ work defined a decade and continues to shape how we think about photography today.

Looking to keep the family cool and entertained these school holidays? Check out our range of creative programs for kids of all ages.

Learn about the architecture of the building before journeying through the Gallery to hear about the lives and legacies of the portrait subjects and the artistic techniques used to tell their stories.

Join a short introductory tour of the National Portrait Gallery and discover a few key portraits.

Drop in to the family space these school holidays for free creative activities to enjoy together. All activities are inspired by the vibrant and dynamic exhibition, Joan Ross: Those trees came back to me in my dreams.

This summer, join us on an adventure through the galleries as we make, move and explore, connecting with our own stories and discovering the ones waiting for us on the walls.

This summer, join us on an adventure through the galleries as we make, move and explore, connecting with our own stories and discovering the ones waiting for us on the walls.

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.

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.

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.

This summer, join us on an adventure through the galleries as we make, move and explore, connecting with our own stories and discovering the ones waiting for us on the walls.

This summer, join us on an adventure through the galleries as we make, move and explore, connecting with our own stories and discovering the ones waiting for us on the walls.

Join photo-historian Helen Ennis and Gallery educators as we launch our professional learning programs for 2025 with a free online session that explores ways to engage students with photography.

Drop into the Gallery for free creative activities inspired by the flora and fauna featured in the vibrant exhibition, Joan Ross: Those trees came back to me in my dreams.

For our first Virtual Highlight Tour of 2025, three of our Access and Learning team members have chosen a portrait to surprise each other and us! Join us for a lively discussion.

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.

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.

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.

Have something to say? Passionate about a cause? Be inspired by Carol Jerrems' photos capturing the women's movement, rebellious youth, and First Nations activism.

Join us for our first February Photography Focus. Helen Ennis, Emeritus Professor, Australian National University (ANU), and Harry Kilcullen, ANU researcher, delve into photography from the National Portrait Collection.

Celebrate love and art this Valentine’'s Day with a unique date (with your partner or mate!) at the Gallery.

Join us for an in-depth discussion about the work of influential photographer Carol Jerrems, whose work is on view in our major exhibition Carol Jerrems: Portraits.

Grab your Free on Fridays ticket to experience the exhibition Carol Jerrems: Portraits and then delve further into the artist’s life and work with a screening of Girl in a Mirror: A Portrait of Carol Jerrems.

Join us in the Gallery as we explore our latest exhibition Carol Jerrems: Portraits with Auslan interpretation.

Draw while listening to live music by the Falatoese Sisters, Olivia, Grace and Lizzie, as they perform a mix of pop, indie and gospel-inspired covers alongside heartfelt originals.

Our February Photography Focus concludes with the work of three contemporary photographers – Ying Ang, Katrin Koenning and Anu Kumar – whose photographs are currently on view in if only we could take the time: contemporary Australian photography.

Enlighten Festival is back for 2025 and will once again light up the nation’s capital over 11 days of culture and creativity.

Join us for Essor, choreographed and performed by Australian Dance Party artist, Yolanda Lowatta, a Geidei woman from Iama, Zenadth Kes with Papua New Guinea and Fijian heritage.

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.

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.

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.

Join journalist Jacqueline Maley as she explores how portraiture is used as a powerful tool to change hearts and minds, acknowledging the formidable power it wields can be a double-edged sword.

We offer a free, tailor-made program for small groups of people living with dementia and their friends, families or carers.

The NPPP is an annual prize for Australian photographers. The year’s most outstanding photographic portrait is awarded a $30,000 cash prize and photographic equipment valued at $20,000 courtesy of our Imaging Partner, Canon Australia. Entries for 2025 are open.