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.
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Hugo Weaving AO (b. 1960) graduated from NIDA in 1981 and made his television debut in the 1984 series Bodyline. After appearing in Bangkok Hilton (1989) he won the AFI Best Actor Award for his performance in Proof (1991). Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and Babe (1995) helped him to establish an international reputation. Between 1999 and 2003 he starred as Agent Smith in the blockbuster The Matrix and its two sequels. He played the elf-king Elrond in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003) and has since appeared in many film and theatre roles. Weaving first performed with the Sydney Theatre Company in 1982, and has worked on more than twenty of its productions.
Nicholas Harding was an avid theatregoer and came to know Hugo Weaving over the years. In this portrait, an Archibald Prize finalist, Harding emphasised his famous friend’s love of domesticity through the inclusion of elements such as his tea in a handmade cup and glimpses of a painting by his wife, a sculpture by his son and his daughter's ukulele. 'Hugo is a man of many horizons', Harding said. 'I've sought to capture him in an unguarded, pensive moment, looking away to the garden outside to evoke a sense of privacy.'
Purchased with funds provided by the Liangis family 2012
© Nicholas Harding
Mrs Sortiria Liangis AM (12 portraits supported)
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves.
Sarah Engledow likes the manifold mediums of Nicholas Harding’s portraiture.
'Artist and actors, advancing spasmodically, find their rhythm together' writes Sarah Engledow.
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.
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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.
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