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.

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.

The crime writer Shane Maloney

2004
Rick Amor

oil on canvas (162.0 cm x 199.0 cm)

Shane Maloney (b. 1953), author, studied Asian history and politics at ANU and held an assortment of jobs before embarking on what was to become Australia’s most successful crime novel series: Stiff (1994), The Brush-Off (1996), Nice Try (1998), The Big Ask (2000), Something Fishy (2002) and Sucked In (2007). Stiff and The Brush Off were adapted for television by John Clarke in 2004; David Wenham starred as Maloney’s fictional protagonist, state Labor MP Murray Whelan. Maloney is also co-author of The Happy Phrase: Everyday conversation made easy (2004) and writes a regular column, ‘Encounters’, for the intellectual journal The Monthly.

Rick Amor portrayed Shane Maloney near the railway lines in inner-city Melbourne. Once, Maloney recalls, there was a road over Downie Street where Flinders Street flew across King Street and down to Spencer Street. Now demolished, it was characteristic of that part of Melbourne, where industrial buildings such as those suggested in the painting are now being refurbished and repurposed. The portrait is something like a painting based on a dream of meeting a wordless Maloney in a half-familiar location.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2010
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
© Rick Amor/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.
Audio description icon

Audio description

2 minutes 59 seconds
Show transcript

Artist and subject

Rick Amor (age 56 in 2004)

Shane Maloney (age 51 in 2004)

Donated by

Rick Amor (21 portraits)

© 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