Search / alan freeman

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2003
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Alan Freeman MBE, c. 1970 (printed 2002)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Freeman Brothers

James Freeman, who is credited with bringing the wet-plate photographic process to New South Wales, arrived in Sydney in 1854 to join his brother William, who had arrived the year before.

9 portraits in the collection

Cathy Freeman OAM

Cathy Freeman OAM (b. 1973) won the 400m Olympic Gold medal in front of her home crowd in Sydney in 2000 in one of the all-time great Australian sporting moments.

5 portraits in the collection

Professor Derek Freeman

Derek Freeman (1916–2001) was an anthropologist. Born in New Zealand, he gained his doctorate from Cambridge before moving to Canberra in 1955 to work at the Australian National University.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir John Hay, 1887

Portrait, albumen silver photograph on cabinet card

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2015

Cathy Freeman, 2000

David Caird

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of David Caird and Melbourne Herald Sun 2003

Cathy Freeman, 1994 (printed 2010)

Bill McAuley

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Cathy Freeman, 1994

Portrait, oil and hand-stitching on canvas

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

Cathy Freeman, 1999

Kerrie Lester

Commissioned with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 1999

Cathy Freeman, 1995

Portrait, direct positive colour photograph on paper

Gift of the artists 2003

Sir John Young, c. 1862

Portrait, albumen paper photograph on carte de visite

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2015

Mary Windeyer, c. 1891

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on studio mount

Gift of J.B. Windeyer 2018

Captain Wilson, 1819

Freeman, T Hamilton

Portrait, Engraving on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Ted and Gina Gregg 2012

Lady Hay, 1887

Portrait, albumen silver photograph on cabinet card

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2015

Portrait of Professor Derek Freeman, 1996

Ralph Heimans AM

Portrait, pencil and pastel on paper

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Maria Windeyer, c. 1865-1868

Freeman Brothers after Edwin Dalton

Portrait, albumen paper carte de visite on brown paper studio folder

Gift of J.B. Windeyer 2018

Sir James Martin, c. 1880s

Henry Samuel Sadd after Freeman Brothers

Portrait, mezzotint on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2009

William Lamb, Baron Melbourne, 1832

Samuel Freeman, Fisher, Son & Co London after Sir Thomas Lawrence

Portrait, engraving on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Ted and Gina Gregg 2012

Scrapbook page featuring portraits of Fred Lowry and Frank Gardiner

Scrapbook page featuring portraits of Fred Lowry and Frank Gardiner, c. 1863

an unknown artist, Freeman Brothers

Portrait, albumen silver photographs on laid on paper with handwritten text

Purchased 2008

Alan Mitchell

Alan Mitchell is based in Melbourne and specialises in room set photography.

4 portraits in the collection

Alan Goldberg AO QC

Alan Goldberg AO QC (1940-2016), Federal Court judge, was born into a pioneering Jewish Melbourne family and graduated from the University of Melbourne law school in the early 1960s.

1 portrait in the collection

Alan Marshall AM OBE

Alan Marshall AM OBE (1902-1984), writer, began life in Victoria’s Western District.

4 portraits in the collection

Alan Sandow

Alan Sandow (b. 1952), drummer, joined Clive Shakespeare in the initial Sherbet lineup in 1969, before Daryl Braithwaite joined the band.

3 portraits in the collection

Alan Sumner MBE

Alan Sumner MBE (1911-1994) was a painter, printmaker, teacher and stained glass designer.

1 portrait in the collection

Alan Jessop

Alan Jessop OAM (b. 1930) is known to Canberrans as the Salvo Man, having collected donations for the Salvation Army in the city for over 30 years.

1 portrait in the collection

Alan Jones

Alan Jones (b. 1977), artist, completed an advanced diploma of fine arts at the National Art School, Sydney, in 1997.

1 portrait in the collection

Alan Alder

Alan Alder (1937–2019), dancer and ballet teacher, began his career studying tap and Scottish highland dancing in Canberra.

2 portraits in the collection

Alan Bond

Born in London, Alan Bond (1938–2015) emigrated with his family in 1950 and began his working life as a signwriter.

2 portraits in the collection

Alan Marshall

In their own words

Recorded 1964

Alan Bishop Stretton AO OBE LLB (1922-2012) enlisted in the Australian Army in 1940 as a private and retired as a Major-General in 1978 being one of the few Australian generals to rise from the ranks.

1 portrait in the collection

Estate of Alan Boxer

Portrait, watercolour, coloured pencil, crayon and gouache on paper

Alan Boxer, public servant, academic and art collector, was schooled in Melbourne and gained his economic qualifications in Melbourne and Oxford.

Alan Bond,

Joe Greenberg

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2001

Alan Marshall, 1984

Jacqueline Mitelman

Portrait, oil on cardboard

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2003

Portrait of Alan Marshall, 1955

Lina Bryans

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

Alan Goldberg, 2014

Jacqueline Mitelman

Portrait, fibre-tipped pen and pen and ink on paper laid down on cardboard

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2015

Alan Marshall, n.d.

Louis Kahan AO

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mrs Lily Kahan 2017
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Alan Bond, 1985

Rennie Ellis

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2006

Alan Sandow, 1975 (printed 2001)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Alan Sumner, 1993

Francis Reiss

Portrait, oil on masonite

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2004

Alan Marshall, 1971

Noel Counihan

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Barrie and Jenny Hadlow 2015

Alan Alder, c. 1970 (printed 2012)

Janice McIllree

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Janice McIllree 2012

Alan Alder, c. 1970 (printed 2012)

Janice McIllree

Portrait, gilcée print on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Janice McIllree 2012

Alan 'Salvo Man' Jessop, 2019 (printed 2022)

Gino Zardo

Purchased 2022

Portrait of John Flaus, 2022

Portrait, oil and synthetic polymer paint on linen

Gift of the artist 2022

Adam (Adam Goodes), 2014

Alan Jones

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2015. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Beyond the bow tie

About Face article

Nathan Faiman delves into the rich life story and legacy of Alan Goldberg.

Of jumpers and river gums, red

Magazine article by Diana O'Neil, 2016

Diana O’Neil on Noel Counihan’s vivid 1971 portrait of Alan Marshall.

Major General Alan Stretton, 1987

Gwendolene Pratt

Portrait, oil on canvas laid on composition board

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Stretton family 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Queen's Birthday Weekend, 2013

by Alan Hill and Kelly Hussey-Smith

The First Ministry under Responsible Government in New South Wales

The First Ministry under Responsible Government in New South Wales, 1856

Portrait, albumen silver photograph

Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2009

Alan Dowler and Dwayne Tickner, c. 2000

Penny Tweedie

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2004

Neil Finn, 1987 (printed 2021)

Gift of the artist 2021

Neil Finn and Paul Hester, 1987 (printed 2021)

William Macleod after Freeman Brothers

Gift of the artist 2021

William Macleay, 1885

Portrait, lithograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2014

Paul Hester, 1987 (printed 2021)

Portrait, inkjet print on canvas

Gift of the artist 2021

Sherbet, 1974 (printed 2002)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Sherbet, 1974

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2007

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2003
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Good, bad and the ugly

Michael Desmond explores what makes a portrait subject significant.

Redfern, I love you - Alan, 2012

by Ben Lawrence

Portrait, pencil and crayon on paper

Study "Radical Restraint: A Portrait of Michael Kirby", 1998

Ralph Heimans AM

Gift of the artist 2001

Out of the blocks

Early sporting fame

Portrait, charcoal on paper

Dawn Fraser, Lionel Rose, Shane Gould and Cathy Freeman

Emily Kame Kngwarreye, 1995

Jenny Sages

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Bequest of Alan Boxer 2014

Portrait Gallery benefits from generous Boxer bequest

8 April 2015

Archived media releases 2015

Canberran and modernist art collector Alan Boxer has generously bequeathed two works by artists Arthur Boyd and Jenny Sages to the National Portrait Gallery.

John Davis

Australia's America's Cup challengers

Alan Davies' and Peter Stanbury's The Mechanical Eye in Australia lists Sydney photographer John Davis (life dates unknown) as having a carte-de visite studio on King Street, and as working from addresses on Pitt and George Streets between 1870 and 1873..

1 portrait in the collection

A magnificent rivalry

Alexander (Jock) Sturrock and Alan Bond

Kel, 2018

Tom Farrell

Donors

$10,000 - $49,999

Common ground, 2007

by Dean Sewell

Portrait Photography from the Collection

In the mirror: self portrait with Joy Hester

Depth of Field

Previous exhibition, 2004

Over the last five years the National Portrait Gallery has developed a collection of portrait photographs that reflects both the strength and diversity of Australian achievement as well as the talents of our photographers.

Self portrait, 1937

Harold Cazneaux

Purchased 2015

Clive Shakespeare

Clive Shakespeare formed the soul/Tamla Motown cover group the Downtown Roll Band in 1968.

3 portraits in the collection

Slow Motion @ 300kms per hour Mark ‘Sparky’ Webber, Formula 1 Driver, 2016

by Gino Zardo

Sir Charles Mackerras AC KT CBE

Sir (Alan) Charles Mackerras AC CBE (1925-2010) was chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra from 1982 to 1985.

1 portrait in the collection

Karin Catt

Karin Catt grew up in Newcastle, where she began taking photographs of touring bands while a schoolgirl, and also in London and Hong Kong.

9 portraits in the collection

Slow Motion @ 300kms per hour Mark 'Sparky'™ Webber, Formula 1 Driver

Slow Motion @ 300kms per hour Mark 'Sparky'™ Webber, Formula 1 Driver, 2016

Gino Zardo

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2019

John Button

John Button (1933-2008), Labor politician, studied arts and law at the University of Melbourne and made his name as a barrister in Melbourne before becoming involved in the Victorian branch of the Labor Party in the late 1950s.

2 portraits in the collection

The silent spectre of motion (Le spectre silencieux du movement), 2012

by Bridget Walker

Finalist, iD2012

Bart Willoughby

Portrait, cast bronze on mosaic tile panel

Bart Willoughby (b. 1960) is a Pitjantjantjara and Mirning singer/songwriter who is one of the Stolen Generations.

2 portraits in the collection

Sir Charles Mackerras, 1983

Arthur Fleischmann

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Sir Charles Mackerras 2009

Portrait of Dr John Bradfield, c. 1920-1924

Reginald Jerrold-Nathan

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the family of Dr J J C Bradfield 2006
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

An evening at Yarra Cottage, Port Stephens

Home is where the heart is

Nearest & Dearest

For richer, for poorer

David Brooks

Portrait, pencil on paper

David Brooks, poet, literary critic and academic, studied in the early 1970s at the Australian National University, where he fell in with a group of Canberra writers including AD Hope, Rosemary Dobson, David Campbell and Judith Wright and co-founded Open Door Press with Alan Gould.

1 portrait in the collection

Study for portrait of Senator John Button, 1992

Andrew Sibley

Gift of the artist 2002. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Senator John Button, 1987

Andrew Sibley

Previous exhibition, 2003

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

POL

Portrait of a Generation

POL was a magazine that ran from 1969 to 1986

Portrait of a beautiful mind - Adam Cullen, Blue Mountains

Portrait of a beautiful mind - Adam Cullen, Blue Mountains, 2005 (printed 2019)

George Fetting

Portrait, oil on canvas laid on masonite

Purchased with funds provided by Alan Dodge AM & Neil Archibald 2019

Carl Cooper, 1945-1946

Arthur Boyd AC OBE

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Bequest of Alan Boxer 2014

James T. Donovan, 1892

Tom Roberts

Purchased 2015

Andrew Sibley

Andrew Sibley (1933–2015), painter and teacher, is known for his figurative paintings, landscapes and abstract works.

20 portraits in the collection

Kerrie Lester

Kerrie Lester (1953–2016) became well-known as a portraitist for her playful, textured, highly coloured works that appeared regularly in the Archibald and Portia Geach exhibitions of the late 1980s and the 1990s.

6 portraits in the collection

Dr Paul Scully-Power, 2005

Evert Ploeg

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper

Purchased with funds provided by donors 2006

Malcolm Fraser, Randwick Racecourse, 1975 (printed 2002)

Roger Scott

Purchased 2012

Bert Hinkler, 1930s

Nison Tregor

Portrait, cast metal with gold finish

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Alan Foulkes in memory of Mark Graham Cleghorn 2012

Sir John Cornforth, 1993 (printed 2003)

Nick Sinclair

Portrait, bromide print on photographic paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2004

Janet Holmes a Court AC

Janet Holmes à Court AC (b. 1943), businesswoman and philanthropist, graduated in science and worked as a teacher before marrying young Perth lawyer Robert Holmes à Court in 1966.

1 portrait in the collection

Two grounps of three people standing in a studio with walls and shelves filled with artworks

Arts Project Australia

Artists and Collectives

Arts Project Australia is a creative social enterprise based in Naarm/Melbourne that supports neurodiverse artists, promoting their work and advocating for inclusion within contemporary arts practice.

Bart Willoughby, c. 2000

Penny Tweedie

Previous exhibition, 1999

Gift of the artist 2004

Glossy - Faces Magazines Now

Magazines are the portrait galleries of the 90s... Glossy is about magazines. The exhibition presents the work of eight photographers, Australian by birth or long-term residency, who are producing portraits for publication in magazines around the world.

Bart Willoughby (No Fixed Address) at 'The National Land Rights Action' march

Bart Willoughby (No Fixed Address) at 'The National Land Rights Action' march, 1982

Juno Gemes

Portrait, lithograph on paper

Gift of the artist 2021. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Gooseberry, widow of King Bungaree, 1836

William Fernyhough

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Robert Edwards AO 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Depth of Field

Magazine article by Lauren Dalla, 2004

The exhibition Depth of Field displays a selection of portrait photographs that reflect the strength and diversity of Australian achievement.

John Passmore

John Passmore (1904-1984), painter, studied with Julian Ashton in Sydney between the ages of fourteen and twenty-nine, and took some instruction from George Lambert.

1 portrait in the collection

Janet Holmes á Court, 2001 (printed 2011)

Lorrie Graham

Portrait, synthetic polymer paint and red ochre on canvas

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Richard Walley, 2015

Dr Julie Dowling

Commissioned with funds provided by Neil Archibald and Alan R. Dodge AM, Brandon and Angela Munro, Dr Walter Ong and Graeme Marshall 2015

Allan Lowe, c. 1955

Reshid Bey

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Alan Lowe and Marian Lowe 2000

Julian Burnside AO KC

Julian Burnside AO (b. 1949), barrister, grew up in Melbourne, attending Melbourne Grammar and studying economics and law at Monash in the late 1960s.

1 portrait in the collection

Russell Hopkinson (You Am I), 1995

Gift of the artists 2003

Andy Kent (You Am I), 1995

Gift of the artists 2003

Tim Rogers (You Am I), 1995

Previous exhibition, 2018

Gift of the artists 2003

Collection: Icons

Volume One

When a portrait communicates determination and individuality as boldly as these do, it has the potential to become an iconic image. For the Gallery’s 20th birthday this display brings together a group contemporary photographic portraits of inspiring women and men.

Glenn McGrath AM

Glenn McGrath AM (b. 1970), philanthropist and former Test cricketer, is one of international cricket's greatest ever fast bowlers.

1 portrait in the collection

Icons

Parliament House

Touring exhibition, 2019

Thomas Townshend, Lord Viscount Sydney

Previous exhibition, 2010

Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney PC (1733-1800) was British Home Secretary in the Pitt Government, given responsibility for devising a plan to settle convicts at Botany Bay.

1 portrait in the collection

Australian of the Year

Inspiring a Nation

The Australian of the Year Awards have often provoked controversy about who is selected and whether their achievements are remarkable.

Fred Hollows, 1993

Kerrie Lester

Portrait, oil and hand-stitching on canvas

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Darby McCarthy OAM

Portrait, type C Duraflex print on paper

Richard 'Darby' McCarthy OAM (1945–2020), former jockey who rode in three Melbourne Cups and won more than 1000 races, is a proud descendant of the Mithaka and Goongurri people of south-west and central Queensland.

1 portrait in the collection

Kerrie Lester, 1990

Anne Zahalka

Gift of Leo Christie 2003. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Lina Bryans

Lina Bryans OAM (1909-2000), artist, was born into a prosperous Melbourne family and grew up moving freely between Toorak and Europe.

3 portraits in the collection

Wesley Enoch and David McAllister, 2020

Peter Brew-Bevan

Purchased with funds provided by Alan Dodge AM and Neil Archibald 2021

Heath Ledger, Prague, 2000 (printed 2009)

Bruce Weber

Purchased with the assistance of Alan Dodge AM 2009

John Bradfield

John Bradfield (1867-1943), engineer, was a key figure in the development of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and inner city transport network.

1 portrait in the collection

Mal Meninga, 2018

by Peter Hudson

Commissioned with funds provided by Maliganis Edwards Johnson and Alan Dodge AM 2018

Supporters

$5,000 - $9,999

Hilary McPhee AO

Previous exhibition, 2023

Hilary McPhee AO (b. 1941), writer and editor, began her career at Meanjin before starting a small magazine, Theatre.

1 portrait in the collection

Little Darlings Youth Portrait Prize 2023

Little Darlings is for primary and secondary students, with four separate categories across Kindergarten to Year 12. Responding to the theme ‘Me and my place’, students painted, drew, photographed, printed or combined all of these to make their portrait.

Mysterious eyes

Arthur Boyd portraits from 1945

Previous exhibition, 2016

Boyd’s self-portrait at age 25 is joined by his equally emotive portraits of those around him.

Michael Leunig, 2004

Jacqueline Mitelman

Portrait, mixed media, fibre-tipped pen, pencil charcoal, pastel, gouache on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Portrait of Lin Bloomfield, 1992

Frank Hinder

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Lin Bloomfield 2017

Little Darlings Youth Portrait Prize finalists

Little Darlings Youth Portrait Prize 2022

Previous exhibition, 2022

Little Darlings is for primary and secondary students, with four separate categories across Kindergarten to Year 12. Responding to the theme ‘identity’, students painted, drew, photographed, printed or combined all of these to make their portrait.

Richard Henry Horne, mid 1860s

Batchelder & Company Photo

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Graham Smith 2009

John Sumner AO CBE

Portrait, oil on canvas laid on composition board

John Sumner AO CBE (1924–2013), described as the 'father of Australian drama', was born in England and trained and worked in repertory theatre there before World War 2.

2 portraits in the collection

Mal Meninga, 2018

Peter Hudson

Commissioned with funds provided by Maliganis Edwards Johnson and Alan Dodge AM 2018

Richard Walley OAM honoured in new Portrait Gallery commission

2 September 2015

Archived media releases 2015

A new commissioned portrait funded by the Gallery’s Foundation will be launched at Murdoch University in Perth tonight, Wednesday 2 September.

Margaret Robertson, c. 1863

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Malcolm Robertson in memory of William Thomas Robertson 2018
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Frances Perry, c. 1863

Purchased 2012

Charles Perry, c. 1863

Portrait, albumen photograph on carte de visite

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Annual Appeal

Listed by year

Previous exhibition, 2003

Australia and the Nobel Prize

This unique exhibition will give an insight into the private lives, pursuits and work of all the Nobel laureates associated with Australia

Making Portraits

Five Years of National Portrait Gallery Commissions

Previous exhibition, 2004

The considered matching of artist to subject has produced an amazing collection of unique and original works in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery

Arthur T. Woodward

Significant Australian Women 1913–2013

Arthur Thomas 'A T' Woodward (1865–1943), painter and art scholar, was born in Birmingham, England.

1 portrait in the collection

First Ladies

Previous exhibition, 2013

First Ladies profiles women who have achieved noteworthy firsts over the past 100 years.

Charles Summers, late 1860s

Batchelder & Company Photo

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Graham Smith 2009

2020 Annual Appeal

Annual Appeal

In 2020 the Annual Appeal was focussed on Sally Robinson's remarkable portrait of author Tim Winton.

Sir Henry Barkly, c. 1863

Portrait, albumen photograph carte de visite on card

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Finalists announced for National Photographic Portrait Prize

14 November 2018

Archived media releases 2018

The National Portrait Gallery would like to congratulate the forty finalists for the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2019.

The Textiles Scientist, 2018 by Kate Atkinson

Textiles Scientist Voted the People’s Favourite

27 March 2019

Archived media releases 2019

The black and white portrait of an elderly woman with sidelong glance and irreverent, contemplative smile has taken out the people’s choice award in this year’s National Photographic Portrait Prize.

Star signs

Magazine article by Barry York, 2018

Barry York charts the course from childhood request to autographed celebrity portrait anthology.

Observation point

Magazine article by Shaun Gladwell, 2011

Australian artist Shaun Gladwell discusses his portraits of champion athletes.

Arnold Shore

Arnold Shore, a lifelong inhabitant of Melbourne, was apprenticed to a stained glass and leadlight company called Brooks, Robinson soon after leaving school at the age of twelve.

2 portraits in the collection

Lady Barkly, 1863

Portrait, albumen silver carte de visite on card

Purchased 2014

2021 Annual Appeal

Annual Appeal

In 2021 the Annual Appeal was focussed on Peter Brew-Bevan's portraits of athletes Turia Pitt, Leisel Jones OAM and Ellie Cole OAM.

Barry Humphries

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2008

Barry Humphries AO CBE (1934–2023), actor, writer and artist, was the world's all-time most successful solo theatrical performer.

12 portraits in the collection

Form and reality

A photographic portrait by Kerry Dundas captures the contemplative mind of visionary painter Godfrey Miller.

Thomas Sutcliffe Mort and his wife Theresa

Tiny Trace of a Colonial Giant

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2004

At just 7.8 x 6.2 cm, the daguerreotype of Thomas Sutcliffe Mort and his wife Theresa is one of the smallest works in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery.

Australian Visit

Previous exhibition, 2006

The exhibition will include works of art from the NPG Canberra's permanent collection with some inward loans and aims to highlight the achievements of notable Australians.

Time and light

In Gallery Seven

Previous exhibition, 2023

This sample of 56 photographs takes in some of the smallest photographs we own and some of the largest, some of the earliest and some of the most recent, as well as multiple photographic processes from daguerreotypes to digital media.

The Gladiators (Norm Provan and Arthur Summons)

Who's that?

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2009

Michael Desmond discusses the iconic picture of two Rugby League players which became known as 'The Gladiators'.

Sir Les Patterson, 1999

Polly Borland

The vision of Gordon and Marilyn Darling

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2001

Uncommon Australians

Previous exhibition, 2015

This exhibition showcases portraits acquired through the generosity of the National Portrait Gallery’s Founding Patrons, L Gordon Darling AC CMG and Marilyn Darling AC.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2022

Previous exhibition, 2022

The exhibition is selected from a national field of entries, reflecting the distinctive vision of Australia's aspiring and professional portrait photographers and the unique nature of their subjects.

Talma Studios, Sydney

A cross-curriculum learning resource

Talma Studios opened in Sydney in March 1899 in a George Street premises next door to the GPO.

1 portrait in the collection

Awesome Achievers

Learning resource archive

What makes someone awesome? And how does a portrait tell a person's story? Bring your students up close and personal with some great Australians. For upper primary school students.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2009

Previous exhibition, 2009

In its second year at the National Portrait Gallery, and for the first time touring to other venues, the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2009 continues to present surprising perspectives on the nature of contemporary portrait photography.

The fat of the land

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2009

Sir Sidney Kidman (1857-1935) is inscribed in Australian legend as the ‘Cattle King’.

Figurative foundation

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2010

Joanna Gilmour explores the life and art of the Australian artist Janet Dawson.

Portrait of a patron

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2007

A new painting by Jiawei Shen captures the vision and resolve of the Gallery's founder, L. Gordon Darling AC CMG.

Sideshow Alley

Infamy, the macabre & the portrait

Previous exhibition, 2015

Death masks, post-mortem drawings and other spooky and disquieting portraits... Come and see how portraits of infamous Australians were used in the 19th century.

Yellow portrait (portrait of Alex Jelinek)

Fugue in Yellow

Magazine article by Roger Benjamin, 2015

Roger Benjamin explores the intriguing union of Lina Bryans and Alex Jelinek.

Primed

Some Prime Ministers

Previous exhibition, 2019

Seventeen of Australia’s thirty prime ministers to date are represented in the contrasting sizes, moods and mediums of these portraits.

As long as you're here, 2013 by Tony Curran

Touchy touchy

Magazine article by Tony Curran, 2015

Tony Curran ponders whether our phones can change the course of painting.

2023 Annual Appeal

Annual Appeal

In 2023 the Annual Appeal was focussed on a work by one of Australia's best loved and most successful portrait painters, Judy Cassab AO CBE, depicting model, entrepreneur and deportment icon, June Dally-Watkins OAM.

Sir Thomas Gore-Browne, 1864

J Walch & Sons

Portrait, tinted lithograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2018

Paper weight

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2022

Joanna Gilmour delves into a collection display that celebrates the immediacy and potency of drawing as an art form in its own right.

Someone to watch over you

Magazine article by Carrie Kibbler, 2013

Carrie Kibbler looks at how portraiture fits into the Australian Artbank Collection.

Moving in creative circles

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2008

Harold Cazneaux's portraits of influential Sydneysiders included Margaret Preston and Ethel Turner, both important figures in the development of ideas about Australian identity and culture.

Life class

Magazine article by Leonie Hellmers, 2004

Barbara Blackman reflects on her experiences as a life model.

Boyd to man

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2016

Christopher Chapman looks at influences and insight in the formative years of Arthur Boyd.

Uncommon Australians

The vision of Gordon and Marilyn Darling

Magazine article by Emeritus Professor Jaynie Anderson AM, 2015

Sarah Engledow writes about Gordon and Marilyn Darling and their support for the National Portrait Gallery throughout its evolution.

Sitter still

Jaynie Anderson reflects on her experience as sitter for Reshid Bey’s 1962 portrait.

In profile

Julian Kingma

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2023

Penelope Grist explores the photographic instinct of four-time National Photographic Portrait Prize finalist Julian Kingma.

Seduce, Amuse, Entertain

NPPP 2007 exhibition essay

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2007

Michael Desmond, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2007 Prize.

Seduce Amuse Entertain

Michael Desmond profiles a handful of the entrants in first National Photographic Portrait Prize and notes emerging themes and categories.

Black tie or wombat: How formal should I go?

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2008

Michael Desmond discusses the portrait of Senator Neville Bonner by Robert Campbell Jnr.

Studio of the American & Australasian Photographic Co., Hill End, 1872

A rogue's calling card

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2008

Joanna Gilmour explores the stories behind the ninteenth-century carte de visites of bushrangers Frank Gardiner and Fred Lowry.

In the galleries

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2009

Christopher Chapman highlights the inaugural hang of the new National Portrait Gallery building which opened in December 2008.

Generous Janice

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2013

Dr Sarah Engledow puts four gifts to the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection in context.

Portrait Donors

Listed by year

Magazine article by Jude Rae, 2016

Ms Anna Burke MP, Speaker of the House of Representatives 2015 by Jude Rae

Hired guns, bounty hunters and horse whisperers

Jude Rae contemplates the portrait commission.

Self Portrait with Stetson, 2011 by Darren McDonald

Painting them gently

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2015

Penny Grist on motivation, method and melancholy in the portraiture of Darren McDonald.

The life of Bryant

Magazine article by Tenille Hands, 2018

Tenille Hands explores a portrait prize gifted to the National Screen and Sound Archive.

Confessional conversations

The portraiture of Kristin Headlam

Magazine article by Fiona Gruber, 2015

Fiona Gruber investigates the work of Australian painter Kristin Headlam.

Revd Dr Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch, c.1795 by Sir Henry Raeburn

Great Scots

Magazine article by Diana O'Neil, 2017

Diana O’Neil samples the tartan treats on offer in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Friends and Acquaintances

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2005

Dr. Sarah Engledow discusses a collection of drawings and prints by the Victorian artist Rick Amor acquired in 2005.

First-Class Marksman, 1946 by Sidney Nolan

Money for Myth

Magazine article by Jane Raffan, 2015

Australian character on the market by Jane Raffan.

Woman with Fair Hair and Pink Cardigan, 1949 by John Perceval.

The family scene

Magazine article, 2016

Traudi Allen discovers sensitivity, humour and fine draughtsmanship in the portraiture of John Perceval.

The artist and her family, c. 1854 by Martha Berkeley

Presence and absence

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2018

The art of Australia’s colonial women painters affords us an invaluable, alternative perspective on the nascent nation-building project.

Through blue eyes

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2009

Works by Arthur Boyd and Sidney Nolan bring the desert, the misty seashore and the hot Monaro plains to exhibition Open Air: Portraits in the landscape.

History

About us

How the National Portrait Gallery and its unique collection came to be

20/20 launch speech

About Face article

Dr Helen Nugent AO, Chairman, National Portrait Gallery at the opening of 20/20: Celebrating twenty years with twenty new portrait commissions.

Rick Amor: 21 Portraits

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2015

Sarah Engledow chronicles Rick Amor's work and accomplishments in this extensive essay in conjunction with the exhibition Rick Amor: 21 Portraits.

Regarding Henrys

Sarah Engledow ponders the divergent legacies of Messrs Kendall and Lawson.

Maria Caroline Brownrigg

About Face article

At first glance, this small watercolour group portrait of her two sons and four daughters by Maria Caroline Brownrigg (d. 1880) may seem prosaic, even hesitant

You are who?

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2022

Joanna Gilmour reflects on merging collections and challenging traditional assumptions around portraiture in WHO ARE YOU.

The Art Lovers - Megan, 2013 by Gary Grealy

Everybody, look serious

NPPP 2014 exhibition essay