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.

Noel Fraser Hickey

1957
Nancy Menetrey

oil on canvas (frame: 103.0 cm x 76.2 cm)

Noel Fraser Hickey (1921–2010) worked as a photographer with Kodak before serving with the Australian Imperial Force in the Second World War. He then started his own studio in Sydney, specialising in headshots and portfolio photography for aspiring fashion models. Artist Nancy Menetrey worked for Hickey as a negative retoucher, and this portrait of her sharply dressed boss was a finalist in the 1957 Archibald Prize. Among her other portrait subjects were Pat Woodley, the 1950 Miss New South Wales, who founded her own modelling agency in Sydney, and who is pictured in the photograph being held by Hickey in this painting. In the 1950s Menetrey was the first woman to join Sydney’s St George Art Society, which has since named its award for contemporary and abstract painting after her. Her portraits featured in the Portia Geach Memorial Award several times in the 1970s.

Gift of the artist 2021
© Nancy Menetrey

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

Nancy Menetrey (age 33 in 1957)

Noel Fraser Hickey (age 36 in 1957)

Donated by

Nancy Menetrey (1 portrait)

© 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