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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.

Hearts and craft

It’s said that good things come to those who wait, and the eventual relationship of two of Australia’s greatest sculptors seems to back the claim.

1 Robert Klippel, 1993. 2 Rosemary Madigan, 1992. Both Greg Weight. © Gregory Weight/Copyright Agency, 2024

In 1947 Rosemary Madigan and Robert Klippel were part of a remarkable cohort of students of sculpture at the East Sydney Technical College.  In love, as in art, each took the path less travelled, and it took nearly 30 years for their friendship to morph into what became an enduring creative and romantic union.  Having initially taken divergent paths in travel and life, the artists reconnected in 1973 and began a professional and personal relationship that lasted until Robert’s death in 2001. Greg Weight’s photographs capture the artists in their studios, accompanied by works that characterise their respective oeuvres of conceptual materialism and classical modernism.  In 2018 the National Gallery of Australia displayed Torso (1948) by Madigan beside Harry Body (1946) by Klippel, a sculptural pairing that delighted Rosemary when she visited the exhibition.

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© 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.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency