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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.

Portrait of David Dridan

1992
Brian Dunlop

oil on canvas (frame: 157.7 cm x 188.7 cm, support: 152.0 cm x 183.0 cm)

David Dridan (b. 1932), artist, studied at the South Australian School of Art and later at East Sydney Technical College. There, he met Russell Drysdale, who became a friend and a significant influence on his work. Awarded a grant from the British Council in 1961, he travelled to the UK for further study at the London Polytechnic and to undertake training in gallery administration at the Victoria & Albert Museum. He was keeper of paintings at the Art Gallery of South Australia from 1962 to 1964, during which period he also became a teacher at St Peter’s College, Adelaide. From the late 1960s he focused increasingly on his painting, becoming known for his views of South Australian landscapes. In the early 1970s, he served as a member of the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board, formed to advise the government on official portrait commissions and the development of the national collection. Also a viticulturist, a collector, and co-founder of the Fleurieu Art Prize, Dridan established his own gallery at McLaren Vale in the 1990s, and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2007 for his services to the arts, tourism and the wine industry in the region. In retirement, he moved into a stone villa and studio in Strathalbyn, where he still paints, on occasion in the company of his friends and fellow-octogenarians John Olsen and Barry Humphries. Dridan has held numerous solo exhibitions and examples of his work are held in various public collections, including those of the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Alluding to Dridan’s work as an artist and winegrower and his place in the McLaren Vale community, the portrait shows him standing behind a table upon which a palette and paintbrushes sit alongside bottles and wineglasses. In the background is a painting by the Anglo-Welsh artist Frank Brangwyn (1867-1956). The portrait of Dridan was a finalist in the Archibald Prize in 1993 and hung for some time in the Salopian Inn, a long-established McLaren Vale restaurant.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Dridan OAM 2017
© Brian Dunlop/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

Brian Dunlop (age 54 in 1992)

David Dridan OAM (age 60 in 1992)

Donated by

David Dridan OAM (1 portrait)

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia

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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