This portrait of Australian music icon Tina Arena AM (b. 1967), taken by fashion photographer Georges Antoni, was commissioned to celebrate Arena’s 50-year career in the music industry. One of Australia’s highest selling artists, with over 10 million records sold worldwide, Arena has been a household name since her first appearance on the television show Young Talent Time at the age of eight. The multilingual singer/songwriter (she speaks English, Italian, French and Spanish) has released 21 albums and won six ARIA awards – including being the first woman in ARIA history to win Album of the Year for Don’t Ask in 1995 – a BRIT Award and two World Music Awards. Arena has also been recognised with a Member of the Order of Australia, a knighthood of the French National Order of Merit and induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
Georges Antoni is known for his dynamic yet sensitive compositions and his attentiveness to movement, shape and subtle tonal shifts. Presented as a diptych, Antoni’s portrait of Arena honours her Italian heritage and evokes mid-20th-century European cinema. The work captures the grit and determination required to sustain her prolific and successful career in the global music industry. Offering a rare personal glimpse into the life of this much-loved Australian performer, the work expresses both vulnerability and strength, tenderness and fortitude.
Commissioned with funds provided by lead donor Sam Meers AO and major support from Ros Murphy
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