Richard Tognetti AO (b. 1965), violinist, conductor and composer, trained with William Primrose in Wollongong and Alice Waten in Sydney before undertaking further studies with Igor Ozim in Switzerland. Awarded the Tschumi Prize for the outstanding graduate soloist, in 1989 he returned to Australia to lead the Australian Chamber Orchestra and was appointed the Artistic Director and Lead Violin later that year. As director or soloist, Tognetti has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras. He performed the Australian premieres of Ligeti’s Violin Concerto and Lutoslawski’s Partita, and his recordings of Bach’s solo violin works gained him three consecutive ARIA awards. Along with collaborating with performers, filmmakers and artists, he has developed educational programs and contributed to charitable organisations
Inspired by an imaginary world, and sometimes described as 'luminist', Louise Hearman’s paintings often include incorporeal, surrealistic motifs in empty landscapes and express a sense of transience. As she noted of this portrait: 'How do you condense a brilliant frenetic being, who unfolds in time, into a single image that exists in the present? Richard is a field of energy and I have tried to nail down particles that look like they belong to him.'
Commissioned with funds provided by Peter Weiss AO 2018
© Louise Hearman
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.
