© National Portrait Gallery 2025
King Edward Terrace, Parkes
Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196
Bonfire of the vanities
Magazine article by Stuart Purves, 2016
Australian Galleries Director Stuart Purves tells the story of two portraits by John Brack.
Thomas Purves
Biography
Thomas Purves (1909-1969), known as Tam, founded the Australian Galleries in Smith Street, Collingwood, Melbourne with his wife Anne in 1956.
1 portrait in the collection
Peter Purves Smith
Biography
Peter Purves Smith (1912–1949), artist, went to Geelong Grammar with his lifelong friend Russell Drysdale.
2 portraits in the collection
Portrait of Tam Purves, 1958
John Brack
Portrait, oil on canvas
Purchased 2012
Maisie, 1938-1939
Peter Purves Smith
Portrait, gouache on paper
Bequest of Lady Maisie Drysdale 2001
The New Arrivals at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, 1941
Russell Drysdale
Portrait, pen and pencil on paper
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Bequest of Lady Maisie Drysdale 2001
Guy Stuart
Biography
Guy Stuart (1942-2024) studied under John Brack at Melbourne Grammar School between 1956 and 1960.
1 portrait in the collection
Between Light and Shadow
Portraits by Stuart Campbell
Previous exhibition, 2011
The late Australian photographer Stuart Campbell produced superb photographs of Australian actors of stage and screen.
Stuart O'Grady
Biography
Stuart O'Grady (b. 1973) a European-based Australian professional cyclist.
1 portrait in the collection
Gilbert Stuart
Biography
Gilbert Stuart was an American painter who arrived in London by way of Scotland in 1775.
1 portrait in the collection
Stuart Campbell
Biography
Stuart Campbell, born in Ballarat, became interested in photography as a student at Swinburne Technical College in Melbourne.
10 portraits in the collection
Stuart Spence
Biography
Stuart Spence (b. 1960) born in Geelong, Victoria, established his career in Sydney during the 1980s and 1990s, as a magazine photographer specialising in celebrity portraiture.
2 portraits in the collection
Kayla, 2017
by Stuart Miller
Image
Shaymaa, 2017
by Stuart Miller
Image
Youthful intrigue, 2014
by Stuart Elwin
Image
Gori, Bougainville, 2009
by Stuart Miller
Image