© National Portrait Gallery 2025
King Edward Terrace, Parkes
Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196
Bee Miles
'Eccentricity'
Portrait story
An exploration of Bee Miles' defining characteristic.
Bee Miles
Biography
Beatrice (Bee) Miles (1902-1973) ranks alongside the 'Eternity man' as one of Sydney's best-remembered street personalities, and featured in the State Library's 'Sydney Eccentrics' exhibition in 1999.
1 portrait in the collection
Bee Miles, 1976
Roderick Shaw
Portrait, charcoal on paper
Gift of Brian Griffin 2000
Fiona Scott-Norman, 2011
by Miles Standish
Image
Good, bad and the ugly
Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2007
Michael Desmond explores what makes a portrait subject significant.
Miles and Arkie, 2015
by Clint Peloso
Image
Alex Miller, 1992
Rick Amor
Portrait, pencil on paper
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Alexander Miller
Biography
Alex Miller (b. 1936), one of Australia’s most decorated and popular authors, migrated from England to Australia on his own as a sixteen-year-old.
3 portraits in the collection
David Malouf, 2012
Rick Amor
Portrait, oil on canvas
Commissioned with the assistance of funds provided by the Circle of Friends 2012
Rodney Hall OAM
Biography
Rodney Hall OAM (b. 1935), writer, came to Australia in 1947 and settled in Brisbane.
2 portraits in the collection
Phillip Law AC AO CBE
Biography
Phillip Law AC AO CBE (1912–2010), scientist and Antarctic explorer, developed an interest in the frozen continent as a boy.
1 portrait in the collection
Dr Phillip Law, 1974
Dallas Hawes
Portrait, oil on canvas
Gift of Dr Phillip Law 2000. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
David Malouf
Biography
David Malouf (b.1934), educated at Brisbane Grammar and the University of Queensland, left Australia at the age of 24 and remained abroad for a decade, teaching in England and travelling throughout Europe.
3 portraits in the collection
Alexis Wright
Biography
Alexis Wright (b. 1950), author and activist, won the Miles Franklin Award in 2007 for her novel Carpentaria and the 2018 Stella Prize for her collective memoir Tracker.
1 portrait in the collection
Michelle de Kretser, Geography & History, 2013
Weng-Ho Chong
Portrait, synthetic polymer paint, charcoal, pastel and conté on linen
Gift of Michelle de Kretser 2015. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Sarah
Therese Maher
Image