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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.

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Father Peter Steele

2009
Kristin Headlam

oil on canvas (support: 60.0 cm x 50.0 cm)

Father Peter Steele AM (1939-2012), poet and Jesuit Provincial, grew up in Perth, destined from youth for the priesthood. Educated by the Christian Brothers, upon graduation from high school he moved to Melbourne, where he took up a Jesuit novitiate at Watsonia. Five years later he went to study English at the University of Melbourne, where he was taught by Vincent Buckley. As he progressed to his ordination in 1970, he tutored in the English department; he completed his PhD on Jonathan Swift while rector of Campion College, Kew. After his work on Swift was published, he became head of the English department. In 1985, he was appointed Provincial of the Australian Jesuits. At the end of his provincialate, he took up a personal chair in English at the university in 1993. Until his death he was resident scholar at Newman College, where he preached for more than twenty years (but rarely for more than five minutes at a session). Some of his sermons were published in the collections Bread for the Journey (2002) and A Local Habitation: Poems and Homilies (2010). He also published several volumes of poems and literary essays. The Martin D’Arcy lectures, which he gave at Oxford, were later published as The Autobiographical Passion: Studies in the Self on Show (1989) and his poems are included in many anthologies. He was close friends with the poets Seamus Heaney and Peter Porter, as well as Chris Wallace-Crabbe. Shortly before he died in 2012, a great company of colleagues and friends assembled at Newman for a launch of his last book, Braiding the Voices: Essays in Poetry.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2015
© Kristin Headlam/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

Kristin Headlam (age 56 in 2009)

Peter Steele (age 70 in 2009)

Subject professions

Religion

Donated by

Kristin Headlam (1 portrait)

Related portraits

1. Chris Wallace-Crabbe, 2011. All Kristin Headlam.
© 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.

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