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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.

Simon Tedeschi unplugged

2002
Cherry Hood

watercolour on canvas (support: 300 cm x 189 cm)

Simon Tedeschi (b. 1981), award-winning classical pianist, first performed a Mozart piano concerto in the Sydney Opera House when he was nine. He has barely stopped since, performing in major concert halls, with symphony orchestras and in festivals around the world. In Australia he is a soloist with all the major symphony orchestras and has recorded acclaimed albums for ABC Classics/Universal Music. Helping to introduce a new generation of Australians to classical music, Tedeschi has appeared on the ABC television music program Spicks and Specks and has spoken candidly of his upbringing on Australian Story.

Cherry Hood is well known for her haunting, large-scale watercolours, which she allows to bleed and drip. In her sensual portrait of 20-year-old Tedeschi he is shirtless, staring directly at the viewer with piercing blue eyes. In an interview discussing her 2002 Archibald Prize win, Hood said that due to the huge scale of the painting (roughly three metres high and two metres wide), 'I was running up and down a ladder to paint. I was trying to get the colour of his eyes while I had him there.' This is one of only four portraits in the Portrait Gallery's collection to have won the Archibald Prize.

Gift of Tim Olsen 2010. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
© Cherry Hood/Copyright Agency, 2024

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

Cherry Hood (age 52 in 2002)

Simon Tedeschi (age 21 in 2002)

Subject professions

Performing arts

Donated by

Tim Olsen (1 portrait)

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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