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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.

Andrew Sayers Memorial Lecture

The Art In The Optics

Thursday 20 March 2025
6:00 – 7:30pm AEDT
Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke
Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke, c. 1976 (printed 2017) Robert McFarlane. © Robert McFarlane/Copyright Agency, 2024

Bookings essential

Adult $15 / Concession $12 / Circle of Friends $10 / Virtual Connection $10

Join the Circle of Friends to take advantage of cheaper prices. See our concession and discount policy for more information on ticket availability.

This year’s Andrew Sayers Memorial Lecture will look at how portraits capture defining political moments, reframe national conversations and influence the way we vote. Political portraits range from the tightly stage-managed to the heartfelt and the heartbroken.

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.

The evening will begin at 6:00pm with a welcome drink, with formal proceedings commencing at 6:30pm.

The lecture will be live captioned and livestreamed with Auslan interpretation. If you can’t join us in person, tune in from the comfort of your own home with a Virtual Connection ticket.

Jacqueline Maley

Jacqueline Maley is a columnist and senior writer for the Sydney Morning Herald and Age newspapers, where she writes about politics, people and social affairs. She has also worked on staff at the Guardian in London and at the Australian Financial Review, as well as contributing to numerous other publications including Gourmet Traveller and Marie Claire. In 2016, she won the Kennedy Award for Outstanding Columnist and in 2020 she, along with her colleague Kate McClymont, won a Kennedy Award and a Walkley Award for their coverage of sexual harassment allegations against former High Court judge Dyson Heydon. Jacqueline is also the recipient of the NSW Council of Liberties Journalism award. She is the author of two books, The Truth About Her, published 2021, and the forthcoming novel Lonely Mouth, which will be published on 30 April 2025.

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Access information

This program is wheelchair accessible and closed captioned.

For access support or other ways to book please email bookings@npg.gov.au or phone 02 6102 7070 prior to your visit.

© National Portrait Gallery 2025
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