Skip to main content
Menu

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.

Neil Perry, 1997

by Selina Snow

Neil Perry, 1997

synthetic polymer paint on canvas
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 1999

Neil Perry apprenticed at Sydney’s Sails restaurant before becoming head chef at Barrenjoey Restaurant in Palm Beach. In 1986 he opened his own restaurant, the highly successful Blue Water Grill at Bondi. It was in 1989, in partnership with his cousin Trish Richards, that he opened Rockpool in Sydney ’s Rocks area. Within six months Rockpool had been named Sydney ’s best new restaurant by the Herald’s Good Food Guide. Rockpool currently sits in the Guide’s elite Three Hat category, and the British magazine Restaurant ranks it among the 50 best restaurants in the world. In the wake of Rockpool’s success Perry added new Sydney restaurants to his empire, including Asian-themed Wockpool. He is a food consultant to Qantas Airways, and appears on several cooking shows. He is also the author of two recipe books, Rockpool and Simply Asian.

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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