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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.

The Gallery’s Acknowledgement of Country, and information on culturally sensitive and restricted content and the use of historic language in the collection can be found here.

Janet Holmes á Court

2001 (printed 2011)
Lorrie Graham

gelatin silver photograph on paper (sheet: 49.7 cm x 41.4 cm, image: 40.0 cm x 27.0 cm)

Janet Holmes à Court AC (b. 1943), businesswoman and philanthropist, graduated in science and worked as a teacher before marrying young Perth lawyer Robert Holmes à Court in 1966. Holmes à Court acquired his flagship company, the Bell Group, in 1973; Australia’s first billionaire, he was one of the small group including Alan Bond and Rupert Murdoch who quickly built large business empires that impacted on the international economy before the crash of 1987. The couple began collecting art in 1973 and Janet Holmes à Court’s collection now runs to some four thousand items. Following her husband’s sudden death in 1990, she took over his sunken empire, building up its cattle, horse breeding, vineyards, wine and engineering concerns. She retained full ownership of the Heytesbury Group until 2008, when her son Paul succeeded her, although she is still its chairperson. She has served as chairperson of the Australian Children's Television Foundation and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, and on the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia; also involved with the Women’s Hospital and diabetes research, she was an advocate for a republic at the 1998 constitutional convention and has recently expressed her concerns with regard to Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers. Holmes à Court is a designated Living National Treasure.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011
© Lorrie Graham

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

Artist and subject

Lorrie Graham (age 47 in 2001)

Janet Holmes a Court AC (age 58 in 2001)

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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