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Tom Thompson (b. 1953) is a publisher and writer. During the 1980s he worked as a journalist at the Sydney Morning Herald and as publishing coordinator of the Encyclopedia of the Australian People (for the Australian Bicentennial Authority) before moving to Collins, for which he developed the Imprint label in 1988.

2 portraits in the collection

Douglas Thompson

Douglas Thompson (b. 1932) was born in Stanthorpe, QLD and served in the RAAF as a photographer and photography teacher between 1950 and 1956.

5 portraits in the collection

Jack Thompson AM

Jack Thompson AM (b. 1940) is an actor and the face of the 1970s Australian film renaissance.

3 portraits in the collection

Patricia T. Thompson OAM

Patricia Thelma Thompson OAM (née Amphlett, b. 1949), better known as Little Pattie, first appeared on Australian television at age thirteen in 1962.

1 portrait in the collection

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2009

Col Levy, 1971 (printed 2009)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2009

Little Pattie, 1966 (printed 2019)

Ern McQuillan OAM

Portrait, synthetic polymer paint and red ochre on canvas

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2019

Jack Thompson, 2013

Dr Julie Dowling

Purchased 2015

Jack Thompson on the set of Spyforce, 1970 (printed 2012)

Brian McInerney

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

James Gleeson, 1974 (printed 2014)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2015

Peter Travis, 1971 (printed 2009)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2009

Peter Rushforth, 1971 (printed 2009)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2009

Jack Thompson, 2019 (printed 2021)

Peter Brew-Bevan

Gift of the artist 2021

Garry Shead and Tom Thompson, 1993

Adam Knott

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Richard King 2008
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Garry Shead and Tom Thompson, 1993

Adam Knott

Magazine article by Beatrice Thompson, 2007

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Richard King 2008
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Portrait of Kym Bonython/Portrait of Mr Bonython's speedway cap

Somewhere to hang your cap

A pair of portraits by John Brack; Portrait of Kym Bonython and Portrait of Mr Bonython's speedway cap combine to create a quirky depiction of their subject.

The press conference, 2010

by Jeremy Thompson

Alfred Thompson, Vanity Fair Magazine

Men of the Day No. 5 "As straight as a reed" (Henry John Rous), 1870

Portrait, chromolithograph on paper

Purchased 2015

Thinking about architecture and portraiture

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2009

Dr Christopher Chapman describes the experimental exhibition Portraits + Architecture

Kerstin Thompson Architects

Kerstin Thompson is Principal of Melbourne-based Kerstin Thompson Architects.

Update on Temporary Closure of the National Portrait Gallery

15 April 2019

The National Portrait Gallery will close its doors from Tuesday 23 April 2019, but the public are still able to experience the home of portraiture during the four-month closure.

Alluring Performance Brings Gallery to Life

5 April 2019

See the Gallery through a different lens and experience the portraits with a unique sensorial performance of movement, voice and live sound.

Jokowi, Indonesia, 2014 by Adam Ferguson

Statement from Mr Angus Trumble

30 April 2015

Archived media releases 2021

Today, Mr Angus Trumble, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, expanded on his reasons for removing the photographic portrait of Indonesian President Joko Widodo from exhibition.

Vale Carla Zampatti AC

3 April 2021

The National Portrait Gallery is deeply saddened by the news of the untimely death of Carla Zampatti AC, an Australian icon and a woman who contributed so significantly to defining the identity and style of Australian women.

Younger Australians more engaged with arts and history

11 April 2016

Archived media releases 2016

The second annual brand-awareness snapshot of the National Portrait Gallery is again positive, with indicators moving in the right direction – for the Gallery and for Australia’s cultural engagement.

Portrait Gallery benefits from generous Boxer bequest

8 April 2015

Archived media releases 2016

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

David McAllister to join National Portrait Gallery collection

26 April 2016

Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet, David McAllister AM will join the Portrait Gallery’s national collection in a newly-commissioned portrait taken by illustrious Australian photographer, Peter Brew-Bevan.

Autumn Dinner 2012 photos

19 April 2012

A 14-day dive into portraiture

With author and media identity Peter FitzSimons.

The Amazing Face

#PortraitureComesHome

An educational and fun 14-day adults’ introduction to portraiture.

M.O. Ranger 3: Preparatory study for 'Nothing's as precious as a hole in the ground'

M.O. Ranger 3: Preparatory study for 'Nothing's as precious as a hole in the ground', 2001

eX de Medici

Portrait, watercolour, gouache and pencil on paper

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Michel Lawrence

Michel Lawrence (b.1948) was born in Kings Cross, Sydney and raised in Canterbury, Melbourne.

3 portraits in the collection

Garry Shead

Born in Sydney, Garry Shead studied at the National Art School in 1961-2.

3 portraits in the collection

War hero, 2013

by Peter Brew-Bevan

Portrait Sculpture in Australia

Decorative portrait – Len Lye, c.1925 by Rayner Hoff (1894-1937)

Presence and Absence

Previous exhibition, 2003

This exhibition focuses on exploring national and communal identity through sculptural production in Australia, from the early decades of settlement through to the present day

Let them eat cake, by Zoom

Sarah Vandermark

Thomas and John Clarke, bushrangers, photographed in Braidwood Gaol

Thomas and John Clarke, bushrangers, photographed in Braidwood Gaol, 1867

Portrait, albumen silver photograph on laid down on a section cut from a nineteenth century album page

Purchased 2019

Russell Crowe, 2001 (printed 2004)

Karin Catt

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Aldershot Cavalry (Major General Reginald Talbot)

Hon. Sir Reginald Talbot KCB

The Hon Sir Reginald Talbot KCB (1841-1929), army officer and English MP, was governor of Victoria from April 1904 to July 1908.

1 portrait in the collection

Lloyd Rees, 1987

Michel Lawrence

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

Guy in his studio

Peter Morgan

Current programs for school groups

Portrait of Jawoyn Elder, Margaret Katherine

NAIDOC Portraits

Keep the Fire Burning

Celebrate NAIDOC: Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud and First Nations portraiture in these live National Portrait Gallery programs for primary students. Bookings via DART.

The Amazing Face: a 14-day Dive into Portraiture

Archived media releases 2020

The National Portrait Gallery is offering a free online class on the art of portraiture from April 28.

Delegates to the Constitutional Convention, Sydney 1891 from Australasia Illustrated

Hon. A L. Clark

The Hon. A.L. Clark was a delegate from Tasmania at the Constitutional Convention, Sydney 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

W A. Burgess

W.A. Burgess was a delegate from Tasmania at the Constitutional Convention, Sydney 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Hon. B S. Bird MP

The Hon. B.S. Bird was delegate from Tasmania at the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

W. T. Loton

W.T. Loton was a delegate from Western Australia at the Constitutional Convention, Sydney 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Hon. J H. Gordon MLC

The Hon. J.H. Gordon was a delegate from South Australia to the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir John W. Downer KCMG, KC

Sir J.W. Downer was a delegate from South Australia to the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

J W. Hackett

J.W. Hackett was a delegate from Western Australia at the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir J G. Steere KCMG

Sir J.G.L. Steere was a delegate from Western Australia to the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir J C. Brat

Sir J.C. Brat was delegate from South Australia to the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir Henry Norman

Sir Henry Norman was Governor Queensland at the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Hon. W E. Marmion

The Hon. W.E. Marmion was a delegate from Western Australia to the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Dr M P. Cockburn

Dr M.P. Cockburn was a delegate from South Australia to the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Hon. J A. Wright MLC

The Hon. J.A. Wright was a delegate from Western Australia to the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Danny Morseu

The basketballer Danny Morseu (b. 1958) was born on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait.

1 portrait in the collection

Alexander Forrest

Alexander Forrest was a delegate from Western Australia at the Constitutional Convention, Sydney 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Lord Jersey

Lord Jersey was Governor New South Wales at the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Hon. Thomas Playford

The Hon. Thomas Playford was a delegate from South Australia to the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Lord Kintore

Lord Kintore was Governor South Australia at the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Charles Cameron Kingston PC KC

Charles Cameron Kingston was a delegate from South Australia to the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Lord Adrian Louis Hope

Lord Adrian Louis Hope was Governor Victoria at the Constitutional Convention, Sydney 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Martha Knox

Martha Knox (née Rutledge, d. 1903), was the sister of merchant, landowner and banker William Rutledge.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir William Hillier Onslow

Sir William Hillier Onslow was Governor New Zealand at the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891.

1 portrait in the collection

Tim Burstall, Andamooka (filming of the Last of the Knucklemen)

Tim Burstall, Andamooka (filming of the Last of the Knucklemen), c. 1979

Rennie Ellis

Portrait, inkjet print on rag paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2006

Phillip Gudthaykudthay, 1986

Martin van der Wal

Purchased 2005

William Baker Ashton

William Baker Ashton (1800-1854) was the first governor of Adelaide Gaol.

1 portrait in the collection

National Portrait Gallery to undergo renovation work

15 March 2018

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on resin-coated paper

The National Portrait Gallery will undergo renovation works in 2019 to maintain the integrity of its building and the Gallery’s collection of prized artworks.

Danny Morseu, 2005

Sahlan Hayes

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2006

Jeff Carter with his dog Annie Rose at Foxground NSW

Jeff Carter with his dog Annie Rose at Foxground NSW, 2000 (printed 2017)

Robert McFarlane

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Belinda Giblin, n.d.

Stuart Campbell

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Estate of Stuart Campbell 2012

Johnny, 2006

by Sean Hobbs

Portrait, watercolour on paper

William Baker Ashton, First Governor of Adelaide Gaol, c. 1849

Henry H. Glover

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Carl Kahler

Carl Kahler was born in Austria and trained in Munich, Paris and Italy, where he won several important prizes.

2 portraits in the collection

Lleyton Hewitt AM

At twenty years old, Lleyton Hewitt AM (b. 1981) was the youngest male tennis player ever to be ranked world number one.

1 portrait in the collection

Neville Jeffress, 1987

Judy Cassab AO CBE

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Eileen M. Jeffress 2018

Richard Walsh

Sydney-born Richard Walsh (b. 1941) is an Australian publisher, journalist, broadcaster, editor, lecturer and company director.

1 portrait in the collection

Richard Walsh, Editor OZ magazine at the Hunter Street offices, c. 1966 (printed 2021)

Robert McFarlane

Purchased with funds provided by Tim Bednall 2021

Ned Kelly the Bushranger (from The Australasian Sketcher, 7 August 1880)

Ned Kelly the Bushranger (from The Australasian Sketcher, 7 August 1880), 1880

Portrait, wood engraving on paper

Purchased 2002

Sir John Hay

Sir John Hay (1816-1892), pastoralist and politician, graduated in law in his native Scotland before emigrating to New South Wales with his new wife, Mary, in 1838.

1 portrait in the collection

Philippe Mora

Philippe Mora (b. 1949), filmmaker, artist and writer, is the eldest son of artist Mirka Mora and restauranteur and gallery owner Georges Mora.

1 portrait in the collection

James Moorhouse

James Moorhouse (1826-1915), Anglican bishop, had an exceptionally distinguished career and publication record before he came from England to Melbourne to succeed Charles Perry.

1 portrait in the collection

Self portrait

Doris Zinkeisen

Alfred Barry

Alfred Barry (1826-1910), Anglican bishop of Sydney and primate of the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, was educated at King’s College, London and at Cambridge.

2 portraits in the collection

Henry Wade

Sir Leslie Ward, Vanity Fair Magazine

Henry Wade (1810–1854), surveyor, was trained in surveying at Dublin College before being employed as a civilian assistant by the Royal Engineers Corps.

1 portrait in the collection

a Traveller (2nd Baron Lamington), 1892

Portrait, chromolithograph on paper

Purchased 2015

Sam Haskins

Portraits & Other Stories

Portrait, oil on canvas board

Haskins is known for his poetic combinations of images and this exhibition of 'extended' portraits builds on this approach.

Geoffrey Tozer, 1966

Rollo Thomson

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Estate of Geoffrey Tozer 2012

Les Darcy, c. 1917

Cameron Studios

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2009

Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger was born on the fourth of April 1979, in Perth, Western Australia.

3 portraits in the collection

Les Darcy, Australian Middleweight Boxer

Les Darcy, Australian Middleweight Boxer, c. 1910

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2008

Dr Alfred Barry, c. 1870

Sarony & Co

Magazine article by Mette Skougaard, 2006

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Australian visit in Denmark

In April 2006 the National Portrait Gallery showcased Australian portraits at the Fredenksborg Castle in Denmark.

The Bishop of Sydney DD (Alfred Barry), 1884

Albert Fradelle

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

Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie

Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington (1860–1940) had served four years in the House of Commons before being appointed governor of Queensland in October 1895.

1 portrait in the collection

Richie Benaud OBE

Richie Benaud OBE (1930–2015), cricketer and cricket commentator, played sixty-three Tests for Australia between 1952 and 1964.

1 portrait in the collection

William Morris

George Frederic Watts

The Textiles Scientist, 2018 by Kate Atkinson

Textiles Scientist Voted the People’s Favourite

27 March 2019

Portrait, lithograph on paper

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.

The last bushrangers

It's Complicated

Brothers in harms

Dr Ludwig Leichhardt, 1846

Charles Rodius

Purchased 2004

National Youth Self Portrait Prize

NYSPP 2008

Previous exhibition, 2008

At the end of 2007 the National Portrait Gallery launched the inaugural National Youth Self Portrait Prize and artists aged between eighteen and twenty-five were invited to submit self portraits using a variety of media including drawing, painting, printmaking and traditional or digital photography.

Bob Barnard AM

Bob Barnard AM (1933-2022), jazz cornettist, grew up in a Melbourne musical family and started on cornet with a local brass band at the age of 12.

1 portrait in the collection

Joseph Benedict "Ben" Chifley

Antoine Fauchery, Richard Daintree

Ben Chifley was Australia’s 16th Prime Minister. A railway engine driver in his home town of Bathurst, New South Wales, Ben Chifley became one of the most highly regarded of Australia’s Prime Ministers.

2 portraits in the collection

William Clark Haines, Premier of Victoria (Plate 12)

William Clark Haines, Premier of Victoria (Plate 12), 1857-1858

Portrait, albumen silver photograph on laid on cardboard

Purchased 2014

John Longstaff

Sir John Longstaff, born in Clunes, Victoria, studied at the NGV school from 1883 to 1887 and thenceforth at Corman's in Paris.

1 portrait in the collection

Portrait of Mrs Tom Roberts, 1910

Tom Roberts

Portrait, albumen photograph carte de visite on card

Purchased with the assistance of funds provided by the Circle of Friends 2013

Sir Henry Barkly, c. 1863

Batchelder & O'Neill

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

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 Ernest Fisk

Goupil & Cie after Carl Kahler

Sir Ernest Fisk (1886-1965), radio pioneer and businessman, began his career as one of the earliest wireless telegraphists in the British Post Office.

2 portraits in the collection

The Lawn at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day

The Lawn at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day, c. 1889

Portrait, photogravure on paper

Purchased 2009

Thomas Lord

Thomas Daunt Lord (1783–1865) was the commandant of the convict station on Maria Island from 1825 until 1832.

1 portrait in the collection

John Cargher

John Cargher AM (1919-2008), music broadcast presenter, grew up in England, Germany and Madrid.

1 portrait in the collection

Wylie

Portrait, synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Wylie (c. 1824–unknown) is thought to have been born near King George’s Sound in south-west Western Australia, which would make him a Noongar man.

1 portrait in the collection

Glenn Murcutt, 1992

Ken Done

Gift of the artist 2009. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Major Thomas Lord, c. 1840

Henry Mundy

Portrait, watercolour and gouache on paper

Purchased 2015

Sketch for Prime Minister Robert Menzies

Sketch for Prime Minister Robert Menzies, 1960

Sir William Dobell OBE

Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 1999

Hon. Chris Watson

John Christian Watson, known as Chris Watson (1867-1941), Australia’s third Prime Minister, was born in Valparaiso, Chile, grew up in New Zealand and left school at 10 years of age to work on railway construction projects.

1 portrait in the collection

Henry Wade, c. 1841

Portrait, oil on paperboard

Gift of the Wade and Hannah families 2013

Portrait of Captain James Cook RN, 1782

John Webber

Purchased by the Commonwealth Government with the generous assistance of Robert Oatley AO and John Schaeffer AO 2000

Lionel Rose, World Champion Bantam Weight Boxer before departing to the USA to defend his title

Lionel E. Rose MBE

Lionel Rose MBE (1948–2011), boxer, was the first Aboriginal Australian to win a world sporting title.

1 portrait in the collection

Edward Riou

Edward Riou (1762-1801), naval officer, began his career with the Royal Navy at the age of twelve.

2 portraits in the collection

Richie Benaud, c. 1961 (printed 2005)

Ern McQuillan OAM

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Glenn Murcutt, 1980 (printed 2017)

Robert McFarlane

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Frank Iredale (Francis Adams Iredale, member of the 1896 Australian Cricket Team)

Frank Adams Iredale

Portrait, steel engraving with later hand-colouring on paper

Francis Adams Iredale (1867–1926), cricketer and journalist, was born in the inner Sydney suburb of Surry Hills, the son of an ironmonger and his Irish-born wife.

1 portrait in the collection

Wylie, 1840-1841

Robert Neill

Purchased 2018

Bob Brown at his home in Liffey, 1988 (printed 2013)

Helga Leunig

Portrait, coloured chalk on artist board

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Helga Leunig 2013

Lieutenant Colonel Kathleen A. L. Best, 1943-1944

Charles Wheeler

Purchased 2019

The Cape of Good Hope ( Sir Henry Barkly)

Sir Henry Barkly GCMG KCB

Sir Henry Barkly GCMG KCB (1815-1898) started his career in business and politics before serving terms as governor of British Guiana and then Jamaica.

4 portraits in the collection

Glenn Murcutt AO

Glenn Murcutt AO (b. 1936), architect, received the world's highest architectural honour when he was awarded the Pritzker Prize in April 2002.

4 portraits in the collection

Chang the Chinese giant in European dress with Chinese boy and three European men, one of whom is his manager

Chang the Chinese giant in European dress with Chinese boy and three European men, one of whom is his manager, c. 1871

Archibald McDonald

Purchased 2010

Kath Walker (Oodgeroo Noonuccal) and Lowitja O’Donoghue at the opening of the inaugural National Aboriginal Conference, Canberra

Kath Walker (Oodgeroo Noonuccal) and Lowitja O’Donoghue at the opening of the inaugural National Aboriginal Conference, Canberra, 1978 (printed 2014)

Mervyn Bishop

Purchased 2015

Martha Knox, c. 1855

Previous exhibition, 2009

Portrait, daguerreotype

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Peter Halliday in memory of Norah Knox 2010

doppelgänger

doppelgänger is the second in a series of virtual exhibitions held by the National Portrait Gallery that explore contemporary notions of portraiture in the online environment.

John Mitchel with John Martin and Father John Kenyon [the three Johns]

John Mitchel with John Martin and Father John Kenyon [the three Johns], 1866

Edouard Gatel

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2016

Elizabeth Sarah Roberts

Elizabeth Sarah (Lillie) Roberts (née Williamson, 1860–1928), artist, was born in Launceston, the daughter of Caleb Williamson, a successful merchant, and his wife, Elizabeth.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir Edgar Barton ‘EB’ Coles

Sir Edgar Barton ‘EB’ Coles (1899-1981) was the longest-serving chief executive of the Coles retail group.

2 portraits in the collection

Chrissy Amphlett

Christina 'Chrissy' Amphlett (1959–2013), singer/songwriter, was best known for her energetic performances as the lead singer of rock band the Divinyls, often in her trademark school uniform and fishnet stockings.

1 portrait in the collection

Mr Richard Goldsbrough

Portrait, albumen photograph on cabinet card

Richard Goldsbrough (1821–1886) was a butcher’s son from Shipley, Yorkshire, who became a leading Australian woolbroker.

1 portrait in the collection

Frank Iredale (Francis Adams Iredale, member of the 1896 Australian Cricket Team), 1896

H Parker Rolfe

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2014

Tom Durkin

Thomas Coleman Durkin trained at the Williamstown School of Design and started work in Melbourne as an apprentice to an engraver and then a jeweller.

27 portraits in the collection

Colonel Kathleen Annie Louise Best OBE RRC

Garry Shead and Adrienne Levenson

Kathleen Best OBE RRC (1910–1957), nurse and officer, grew up in Sydney where she completed nursing and midwifery training.

1 portrait in the collection

Soffritto di Lucio, 2009

Portrait, oil on linen

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Lucio Galletto OAM 2012
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Awesome Achievers

A cross-curriculum learning resource

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.

Andy Kent (You Am I), 1995

Montalbetti + Campbell

Gift of the artists 2003

Tim Rogers (You Am I), 1995

Montalbetti + Campbell

Gift of the artists 2003

Russell Hopkinson (You Am I), 1995

Montalbetti + Campbell

Gift of the artists 2003

New exhibition tells big stories through pint-sized portraits

2 November 2018

The National Portrait Gallery is bringing the Victorian era back to life in a special exhibition exploring the colour and character of post-goldrush Australia.

John Allan

Portrait, aquatint on paper

John Allan (1866-1936) was a Deakin shire-councillor for many years and president in 1914-15.

1 portrait in the collection

Part of the crew of His Majesty's Ship Guardian endeavouring to escape in the boats

Part of the crew of His Majesty's Ship Guardian endeavouring to escape in the boats, 1790

Robert Dodd

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Portrait of Captain Edward Riou, 1801

James Heath after Samuel Shelley

Portrait, stipple engraving on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Portraits for Posterity

Drawn from some of the many donations made to the Gallery's collection, the exhibition Portraits for Posterity pays homage both to the remarkable (and varied) group of Australians who are portrayed in the portraits and the generosity of the many donors who have presented them to the Gallery.

Les Darcy

Les Darcy (1895-1917), boxer, was one of Australia's earliest sporting heroes.

3 portraits in the collection

Thomas Bock

Thomas Bock, artist, printmaker and photographer, is believed to have been born at Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, in 1790.

3 portraits in the collection

Adam Scott: at Sanctuary Cove Golf Course

Adam Scott: at Sanctuary Cove Golf Course, 2006

Robin Sellick

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2006

Martin Sharp, 1986

Garry Shead

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2004
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Trukanini

Trukanini (c. 1812–1876) is arguably nineteenth century Australia’s most celebrated Indigenous leader.

6 portraits in the collection

Executive

Our team

National Portrait Gallery Director Bree Pickering leads the executive team.

Frank Hurley OBE

Frank Hurley (1885-1962), photographer, first made his name on Douglas Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-14.

2 portraits in the collection

Gilbert Eric Douglas

Gilbert Eric Douglas (1902–1970), pilot and air force officer, took part in Sir Douglas Mawson’s British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE), which took the form of two ocean voyages conducted over the southern summers of 1929–30 and 1930–31.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir Edward E. Williams

Portrait, albumen silver photograph

Sir Edward Eyre Williams (1813–1880), judge and barrister, arrived in Port Phillip in 1842 having been admitted to the Bar in London nine years earlier.

1 portrait in the collection

The First Ministry under Responsible Government in New South Wales

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

Freeman Brothers

Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2009

William Bligh

William Bligh (1754-1817), naval officer, was born in Plymouth and first went to sea at around the age of eight.

3 portraits in the collection

William Bligh, c. 1776

John Webber

Purchased with funds provided by the Liangis family 2015

Painter John Brack with Professor Alex Mitchell and Sir Garfield Barwick

The Rt. Hon Sir Garfield Barwick AK GCMG QC

The Rt Hon Sir Garfield Barwick AK GCMG QC (1903–1997) was Chief Justice of Australia from 27 April 1964 to 11 February 1981 – the longest serving Chief Justice of Australia.

2 portraits in the collection

Les Darcy, c. 1916

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

David Clarke, 1995 (printed 2018)

Gary Ede

Purchased 2018

Gifts and Benefits Register

Public information

In accordance with the Australian Public Service Commission’s Guidance for Agency Heads on Gifts and Benefits, the National Portrait Gallery will maintain a register of gifts and benefits accepted by its Director and publicly disclose any that are over $100 in value.

George Pell AC

George Pell AC (1941–2023), former Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney, was born and educated in Ballarat, Victoria.

1 portrait in the collection

Andrew George Scott, alias Captain Moonlite, c.1879 attributed to Charles Nettleton

The Portrait Gallery

J.W. Beattie after Charles Woolley

Photography played a significant role in the circulation of messages about law and order, and in the creation of sensation and celebrity.

Trukanini, n.d.

Portrait, albumen silver photograph

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Allanah Dopson and Nicholas Heyward 2009

Humour’s warm refuge

Magazine article by Angus Trumble, 2017

Angus Trumble pays tribute to John Clarke.

Bern Emmerichs

Contributing artists

Born: 1961, Melbourne
Works: Melbourne

Ready , set... shoot

Magazine article by Christine Clark, 2006

The exhibition Flash: Australian Athletes in Focus offers various interpretations of sporting men and women by five Australian photographers.

A Calm So Deep, 2018 by Elizabeth Looker

The National Portrait Gallery Announces Art Handlers’ Award

18 February 2019

The National Portrait Gallery is excited to announce that Perth photographer Elizabeth Looker has won the Art Handlers’ Award for this year’s National Photographic Portrait Prize.

William Clark Haines

Australian Athletes in Focus

William Clark Haines (1810-1866), first premier of Victoria, was educated at Charterhouse and Caius College Cambridge and practised as a surgeon in England before sailing to Victoria in 1842.

1 portrait in the collection

Flash

Introduction The National Portrait Gallery’s photographic exhibition Flash: Australian Athletes in Focus explores various interpretations of Australian sporting men and women.

Cardinal George Pell, 2007 (printed 2012)

David Roberts

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Macquarie Digital Portraiture Award 2015 finalists announced

17 August 2015

The National Portrait Gallery have selected the finalists for the Macquarie Digital Portraiture Award 2015.

Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt

Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt (1813-c. 1848) went to school and university in Germany but the range of his interests was such that he never actually graduated (he was later called Dr Leichhardt in recognition of his broad scholarship).

1 portrait in the collection

Sir Ernest Fisk, n.d. (after 1937)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mrs Jane Fisk 2012

The Honourable Bob Hawke savouring a strawberry milkshake, 2017 by Harold David

Harold David Takes out the People’s Choice Award for this year’s National Photographic Portrait Prize

8 June 2018

The votes are in and the National Portrait Gallery is pleased to announce The Honourable Bob Hawke savouring a strawberry milkshake by Harold David is the people’s choice for the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2018.

Sir Stanley Seymour Argyle

Sir Stanley Seymour Argyle (1867-1940), premier and medical practitioner, studied medicine at the University of Melbourne and at King’s College, London.

1 portrait in the collection

Winners announced: Macquarie Digital Portraiture Award 2015

27 August 2015

The winners of the Macquarie Digital Portraiture Awards will be announced tomorrow morning at 10.00am at the National Portrait Gallery.

Sue Ford

Magazine article by Giles Auty, 2002

Sue Ford (née Winslow, 1943–2009), photographer, filmmaker and photo-media artist, grew up in the beachside suburbs of Melbourne and became interested in photography while on holiday in Europe at age 17.

2 portraits in the collection

The man behind the art

Giles Auty introduces British painter John Wonnacott who will talk at the National Portrait Gallery on 2 November 2002.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2020

Previous exhibition, 2020

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.

Herbert John Louis Hinkler

Magazine article by Alistair McGhie, 2019

Herbert John Louis (Bert) Hinkler (1892-1933), aviator, worked with a photographer and in sugar mills before joining the Queensland Aero club and taking a correspondence course in mechanics.

1 portrait in the collection

Humanæ, 2012 (work in progress) by Angélica Dass

Colour by numbers

Alistair McGhie explores the many shades of Angélica Dass’ Humanæ project.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022)

9 September 2022

Media

The National Portrait Gallery is deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history. Throughout her 70-year reign, Her Majesty represented graciousness, humanity and stability during times of enormous social change.

Charles (still from video) by Amiel Courtin-Wilson

The Winner of the Digital Portraiture Award 2016 is...

2 December 2016

Archived media releases 2016

The winner of the Digital Portraiture Award 2016 has been announced. Congratulations to Amiel Courtin-Wilson for his submission titled Charles.

Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary (future Queen Elizabeth II)

Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary (future Queen Elizabeth II), 1942-1943

Charles Wheeler

Portrait, coloured chalk on artist board

Purchased 2019

William Johnson (1873—1948) by Percy Leason

Recognition

Percy Leason's Aboriginal Portraits

Previous exhibition, 1999

Originally conceived as an anthropological record, Percy Leason’s powerful 1934 portraits of Victorian Aboriginal people are today considered to be a highlight of 20th century Australian portraiture

Why do painted portraits still matter?

Magazine article by Sandy Nairne, 2006

Lecture by Sandy Nairne, Director, National Portrait Gallery, London, given at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra on 28 April 2006.

Prime Ministers

Magazine article by Katherine Russell, 2005

On the day before the Hon. E. G. Whitlam, AC, QC, died last month, at the great age of 98, there were seven former prime ministers of Australia still living, plus the incumbent Mr. Abbott – eight in all.

Australian Princess

The full-length portrait of HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark by artist Jiawei Shen, has become a destination piece for visitors.

Eric Douglas, c. 1930

Frank Hurley OBE

Gift of Sally Douglas 2009

Feather and the Goddess Pool, 2014 by Natalie Grono

Feather voted the people’s favourite

11 June 2015

Portrait, albumen paper carte de visite

The National Portrait Gallery is thrilled to announce that the People’s Choice award for this year’s National Photographic Portrait Prize goes to Natalie Grono from Byron Bay for her photograph Feather and the Goddess Pool 2014.

Frances Perry, c. 1863

Batchelder & O'Neill

Purchased 2012

James Macpherson Grant, c. 1870s

Paterson Brothers

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of John McPhee 2018

Lady Anne Maria Barkly

Anne Maria Barkly (1838-1932) was the second wife of Sir Henry Barkly, Governor of Victoria from December 1856 to September 1863.

1 portrait in the collection

Sylvia Breamer

Sylvia Bremer (also Breamer) (1897–1943), actor, was born in Double Bay, Sydney, in June 1897 into a British-Australian naval family.

2 portraits in the collection

New app gets kids excited about portraits at the National Portrait Gallery

29 May 2018

The National Portrait Gallery has officially launched a new digital interactive Gallery experience called Headhunt!, the first app of its kind being used in museums and galleries. Headhunt! is a tablet-based app for visitors aged 7-15 that encourages children to take the lead and independently explore the Gallery.

Richard Pratt, 2003 (printed 2011)

Lorrie Graham

an unknown artist after Maximilian Kreitmayer

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Ned Kelly death mask, date unknown

Portrait, cast plaster

Collection: National Portrait Gallery Study Collection, Canberra
Gift of John Molony 2018

Captain W Kinghorne, 1834

Thomas James Lempriere

Portrait drawings from colonial Australia

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by The Ian Potter Foundation 2007

Elegance in exile

Previous exhibition, 2012

Elegance in exile is an exhibition surveying the work of Richard Read senior, Thomas Bock, Thomas Griffiths Wainewright and Charles Rodius: four artists who, though exiled to Australia as convicts, created many of the most significant and elegant portraits of the colonial period.

The inner voice

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2011

Dr Christopher Chapman, curator of Inner Worlds: Portraits & Psychology looks at Albert Tucker's Heidelberg military hospital portraits.

Sylvia Breamer, c. 1920

Witzel Studios

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Sylvia Breamer, c. 1917-1919

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2017

Andrew Sayers AM

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper

Andrew Sayers AM (1957–2015) was inaugural Director of the National Portrait Gallery.

1 portrait in the collection

Andrew Sayers, 2012

Mark Mohell

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Marilyn Darling AC 2013

Mark Strizic

A Journey in Photography

Previous exhibition, 2004

This exhibition traces the creative output of nearly 50 years by one of Australia's landmark living photographers.

Modern Australian Women

Magazine article by Gillian Raymond, 2005

Close contemporaries, Thea Proctor, Margaret Preston and Grace Cossington Smith were frequently sources of inspiration and irritation to each other.

Admiral Bligh, 1801

John Chapman

Portrait, stipple engraving on paper

Purchased 2010

Edward Hammond Hargraves

Infamy, the macabre & the portrait

Edward Hammond Hargraves (1816–1891), adventurer and speculator, claimed credit for the discovery of payable goldfields in New South Wales.

1 portrait in the collection

Sideshow Alley

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.

Rosina Carandini, mid 1860s

Charles Hewitt

Portrait, albumen photograph on carte de visite

Purchased with funds provided by Graham Smith 2009

Edmond John Hogan

Edmond John (Ned) Hogan (1883-1964), farmer and premier, left school early and engaged in road-making, timber-cutting, farm-labouring and rabbiting in addition to farm chores at home.

1 portrait in the collection

Judith Durham AO

The Seekers formed in Melbourne in 1962 when jazz singer Judith Durham met Athol Guy, who was in a folk trio with Bruce Woodley and Keith Potger.

3 portraits in the collection

Thomas Wentworth Wills

Thomas Wentworth (Tom) Wills (1836–1880), is popularly thought of as the co-inventor of Australian Rules football.

2 portraits in the collection

Finalists announced for National Photographic Portrait Prize

14 November 2018

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

Greta In Her Kitchen, 36 weeks, 2018 by Alana Holmberg

Canon Australia takes National Photographic Portrait Prize first place to new heights

5 September 2018

Entries are now open for the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2019, with the winner set to receive $52,000 in cash and prizes, including superb contributions from new sponsor, Canon Australia.

Henry Baynton Somer Gullett AM MC

Portrait, albumen silver carte de visite photograph

Henry Baynton Somer ‘Jo’ Gullett AM MC (1914-1999), soldier, politician, ambassador, farmer and author, was the son of Sir Henry Gullett, who was one of the Australian official historians of the First World War.

1 portrait in the collection

Madame Sibly, Phrenologist and Mesmerist

Madame Sibly, Phrenologist and Mesmerist, c. 1870

James E. Bray

Purchased 2017

Fannie Carandini, mid 1860s

Charles Hewitt

Portrait, albumen photograph on carte de visite

Purchased with funds provided by Graham Smith 2009

Queen Elizabeth II

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022) was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, who subsequently became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

4 portraits in the collection

The Seekers, 1993

Rennie Ellis

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Tom Wills, c. 1857 (printed c. 1905-1910)

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on grey paper on card

Gift of T S Wills Cooke 2014. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

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.

Sarah and Ann Jacob, c. 1866

Townsend Duryea

Purchased 2018

Olivia Newton-John AC DBE

Magazine article by Catherine McDonough, 2006

Olivia Newton-John AC DBE (1948-2022) came to Australia as a five-year-old with her father, Brin Newton John, who had worked on the Enigma project at Bletchley, and her mother, Irene Born, who was the daughter of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Max Born.

1 portrait in the collection

Start Your Engines...

The bronze sculpture by Julie Edgar reflects through both the material and representation the determined and straight-forward nature of Brabham.

The National Photographic Portrait Prize: 2021 Living Memory

1 September 2020

Archived media releases 2020

Director Karen Quinlan AM announces significant changes for 2021, including a larger, longer exhibition, themed to reflect our experience of events that have occurred in this historic year.

Helen Nugent, Karen Quinlan and Angus Trumble

Ms Karen Quinlan appointed to lead the NPGA

25 September 2018

Previous exhibition, 2010

The Board of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia is delighted to announce the appointment of Ms Karen Quinlan as its incoming Director.

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.

Uncommon Australians

The vision of Gordon and Marilyn Darling

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.

Lady Barkly, 1863

Batchelder & O'Neill

Portrait, albumen silver carte de visite on card

Purchased 2014

Chang the Chinese Giant with his wife Kin Foo and manager Edward Parlett

Chang the Chinese Giant with his wife Kin Foo and manager Edward Parlett, c. 1871

Archibald McDonald

Portrait, albumen photograph carte de visite

Purchased 2010

Australian Visit

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.

Lady Isabella Louisa Parry

Portrait, cast plaster, painted

Isabella Louisa Parry (née Stanley, 1801–1839), amateur artist, community worker and collector, was the daughter of Sir John Stanley, first Baron Stanley of Alderley, a Whig politician and member of the Royal Society.

1 portrait in the collection

Trucaninny [Trukanini], wife of Woureddy [Wurati]

Trucaninny [Trukanini], wife of Woureddy [Wurati], 1836

Benjamin Law

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Tender tragedies

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2006

George Foxhill's self portraits were the subject of a small focus display at the National Portrait Gallery in 2006.

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.

The Seekers reunite 50 years on, 2011

Helen Edwards

Portrait, synthetic polymer on linen

Gift of Judith Durham, Athol Guy, Keith Potger and Bruce Woodley 2012. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

One hundred days at 7pm 2015 by Fiona McMonagle

Self-effacing

Magazine article by Michael Wardell, 2016

Michael Wardell samples the fare in the University of Queensland National Self-portrait Prize.

The Mutineers turning Lieut Bligh and part of the Officers and Crew adrift from His Majesty's Ship the Bounty

The Mutineers turning Lieut Bligh and part of the Officers and Crew adrift from His Majesty's Ship the Bounty, 1790

Robert Dodd

Portrait, aquatint engraving on paper

Purchased with funds provided by the Ian Potter Foundation 2008

Richard Morecroft & Alison Mackay, 2016 by Gary Grealy

Gary Grealy wins National Photographic Portrait Prize 2017

31 March 2017

Archived media releases 2017

After months of anticipation, the winner for the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2017 has been announced with renowned Sydney portrait photographer Gary Grealy taking out the award. George Fetting, guest judge for the 2017 Prize, was entranced with the evocative nature of the winning portrait Richard Morecroft and Alison Mackay.

An Intimate Portrait of an Australian Artist in 1930

Magazine article by Lauren Dalla, 2003

Lauren Dalla examines the life of Australian painter Roy de Maistre and his portrait by Jean Shepeard.

Winner announced for National Photographic Portrait Prize 2019

22 February 2019

Magazine article by Angus Trumble, 2016

From an outstanding field of more than 3,000 entries, culminating in a shortlist of 39 exceptional finalists, the Winner and Highly Commended entries for this year’s National Photographic Portrait Prize have been named.

Old Blighty

Angus Trumble ponders the many faces of William Bligh.

The world of Thea Proctor

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2005

The world of Thea Proctor was the National Portrait Gallery's second exhibition to follow the life of a single person, following Rarely Everage: The lives of Barry Humphries.

The Pavlova

It is a painful truth, but one which must be faced up to, that the pavlova, that iconic Australian dessert, a staple since the 1930s, was actually invented in New Zealand.

Talma Studios, Sydney

Magazine article by Michelle Fracaro, 2005

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

1 portrait in the collection

The line of fire

Michelle Fracaro examines the life of World War II nurse Margaret Anderson, whose portrait by Napier Waller is in the NPG collection.

South-bound and down

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2013

Joanna Gilmour recounts the story of ill-fated sea voyages in the early stages of the Antipodean colony.

‘Untitled’ - Yellow Kangaroo Paw, 2008 by Christian Thompson

The 'I' in Indigenous art

Magazine article by Jane Raffan, 2013

Jane Raffan examines unique styles of Indigenous portraiture that challenge traditional Western concepts of the artform.

Graham Kennedy and the Seekers in Melbourne

Graham Kennedy and the Seekers in Melbourne, c. 1968

Robert Whitaker

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2007

Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet

Louis-Claude Desaulses de Freycinet (1779–1842), hydrographer and cartographer, sailed with Nicolas Baudin on the Expédition aux terres australes, a journey of discovery, commissioned by Napoléon, to the unknown southern coast of New Holland.

1 portrait in the collection

Monument to Mrs. Moore St. Luke’s Church, Liverpool, Sydney

Waterloo and Mrs. Moore

Magazine article by Roger Neill, 2006

Beyond the centenary of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli, a number of other notable anniversaries converge this year. Waterloo deserves a little focussed consideration, for in the decades following 1815 numerous Waterloo and Peninsular War veterans came to Australia.

Bewitching

Roger Neill delves into the life of a lesser-known Australian diva, Frances Alda.

Virtually yours

Magazine article by Gillian Raymond, 2022

Gill Raymond on creating thought-provoking, interactive content to connect to our online community through portraiture.

To arrive at hope

NPPP 2020 exhibition essay

Penelope Grist, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2020 Prize.

Painter John Brack with Professor Alex Mitchell and Sir Garfield Barwick, c. 1977

Jozef Vissel

Gift of the Jozef Vissel 2015

Goods and chattels

Magazine article by Emma Batchelor, 2022

I have been reading systematically through the ads in the earliest issues of the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, such a rich vein of information about certain aspects of daily life in Regency Sydney.

Australian Dance Party and Catapult Dance performing Connecting Stories: Innovations at the National Portrait Gallery, 2022 Lorna Sim

Let’s dance

Emma Batchelor uncovers the compelling contemporary dance made in response to the works in Shakespeare to Winehouse.

Portrait of the artist as a young man

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2010

Dr Sarah Engledow explores the early life and career of John Brack.

Andrew Sayers AM FAHA

13 October 2015

Darling Portrait Prize 2024

The Chairman, Board, Director and staff mourn the loss of the National Portrait Gallery's inaugural director.

Terms and conditions

Darling Portrait Prize

These terms and conditions govern entries to the National Portrait Gallery’s Darling Portrait Prize 2024.

Nine square images of previous winners of the National Photographic Portrait Prize

Terms and conditions

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2024

National Photographic Portrait Prize

Rugby great a fine addition to Portrait Gallery Collection

21 March 2017

Archived media releases 2017

A portrait of Australian rugby great, Dr Mark Loane AM MBBS FRANZO FRACS, is the latest addition to the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection. The work is the final in a series of three commissioned portraits of Australian rugby luminaries funded by Gallery benefactor, Mr Patrick Corrigan AM.

Grateful admiration and brotherly love

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2004

In the earliest stages of the Great War, the Royal Pavilion in Brighton was turned into a military hospital, and arrangements made there to accommodate the different dietary and other requirements of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim patients.

Poet of the Fleeting Moment

Mark Strizic's work crosses a broad spectrum of photographic fields including urban, industrial, commercial, and architectural photography.

Past, present, future, 2002 by Wang Qingsong
M+ Sigg Collection

Chinese Art

Magazine article by Angus Trumble, 2018

A short overview of modern Chinese art from 1949 to the present.

Helena Rubinstein in a red brocade Balenciaga gown

Study in scarlet

Angus Trumble reflects on the force of nature that was Helena Rubinstein.

Donated duo

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2009

Dr Sarah Engledow writes about the gift of two striking paintings by the Australian artist Ken Done AM.

Giving and getting

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2006

The exhibition Portraits for Posterity celebrates gifts to the Gallery, of purchases made with donated funds, and testifies to the generosity and community spirit of Australians.

Travis Giles, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia, 2010 by Nikki Toole

Mind and body

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2012

Christopher Chapman interviews photographer Nikki Toole about her bold and controlled portraits of skateboarders in the exhibition Skater.

Being Cate

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2009

A moving portrait of Cate Blanchett unfolds as an inspired pairing of medium and subject.

Nocturnal animals

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2017

Joanna Gilmour explores the enticing urban shadows cast by artists Martin Lewis and Edward Hopper.

ORA - Homesickness Project 2015 by Chrys Zantis

Food for thought

Magazine article by Michael Wardell, 2016

Michael Wardell on Chrys Zantis’ Ora.

Lauded legacy

Magazine article by Karl James, 2015

Karl James gives short shrift to doubts about the profile of General Sir John Monash.

A real Pratt

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2015

The death of a gentlewoman is shrouded in mystery, a well-liked governor finds love after sorrow, and two upright men become entangled in the historical record.

More cash than dash

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2011

Joanna Gilmour describes how colonial portraitists found the perfect market among social status seeking Sydneysiders.

Frequently asked questions

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2024

National Photographic Portrait Prize

Patrick White at Centennial Park, 1979–1980

Listomania

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2013

Sarah Engledow describes the fall-out once Brett Whiteley stuck Patrick White’s list of his loves and hates onto his great portrait of the writer.

Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)

An actress and her fans

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2008

Dr. Sarah Engledow discovers the amazing life of Ms. Hilda Spong, little remembered star of the stage, who was captured in a portrait by Tom Roberts.

Material culture

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2018

The Rajah Quilt’s narrative promptings are as intriguing as the textile is intricate.

Finest quality

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2010

Joanna Gilmour explores the life of Chinese-Australian businessman and philanthropist Quong Tart.

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, 1885-86 by
John Singer Sargent

A feast of friends

Magazine article by Richard Ormond, 2015

John Singer Sargent: a painter at the vanguard of contemporary movements in music, literature and theatre.

Penny Fowler AM, John Barrington AM, Heidi Victoria, Elizabeth Dibbs, Tom Mosby, Hayley Baillie, Hugo Michell, Elizabeth Pakchung, Valerie Tam

The Board

Governance & Board

The Board oversees the Gallery's strategic directions, objectives and governance.

Marian Anderson, contralto, New York, June 30, 1955 Richard Avedon

The right note

Magazine article by Leslie Ureña, 2020

Marian Anderson’s glorious voice thrust her into stardom, and a more reluctant role as American civil rights pioneer.

Sandor Ferenczis 50th birthday dinner, Budapest, 1923

Less than six degrees of separation

Magazine article by Dr Anne Sanders, 2011

Anne Sanders finds connections in Inner Worlds between Hungarian expatriates and the development of psychoanalysis in Australia.

The art of multiplicity

Magazine article by Meredith Hughes, 2019

Meredith Hughes explores a key Portrait Gallery work, emerging into the infinite iterations of identity.

The bright-eyed Mariner

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2008

A new colonial portrait brings a zealous captain near.

The personal and the historical

Magazine article by Inga Walton, 2020

Where do we draw a line between the personal and the historical? Although she died in Melbourne in 1975, when I was not quite eleven years old, I have the vividest memories of my maternal grandmother Helen Borthwick.

Miles from nowhere, 2008 (printed 2014) from the Games of consequence series 2008 Polixeni Papapetrou

Mother’s muse

Inga Walton traces the poignant path of photographer Polixeni Papapetrou, revealed in the NGV’s summer retrospective.

Portrait of Private Edward Lello 1915 by Darge Photographic Company

Final frame

Magazine article by Karl James, 2016

Karl James reflects on soldier portraiture during the Great War.

Portrait of Elizabeth Gould with a raptor, possibly a red-footed falcon (Falco vespertinus), painted in her lifetime Artist unknown

Birds of a feather

Magazine article by Annette Twyman, 2021

Charting a path from cockatiel to finch, Annette Twyman explores her family portraits and stories.

Self-portrait in white jacket , 1901-02 Hugh Ramsay

Wunderkind lost

Magazine article by Inga Walton, 2021

Inga Walton on the brief but brilliant life of Hugh Ramsay.

Mary (or Diana) Croker, mat woman, Colchester, 1823 by John Dempsey

Unknown drawer

Magazine article by Dr David Hansen, 2017

Dempsey’s People curator David Hansen chronicles a research tale replete with serendipity, adventure and Tasmanian tigers.

Dr Edward MacMahon, 1959 by William Dobell

Bill and Ted's excellent portrait.

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2016

Sarah Engledow on Messrs Dobell and MacMahon and the art of friendship.

Naked nostalgia

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2016

Penelope Grist reminisces about the halcyon days of a print icon, before the infusion of the internet’s shades of grey.

Conduct becoming

Magazine article by Penelope Grist, 2017

Penelope Grist speaks to Bill Henson and Simone Young to discover the origins of the artist’s stunning photographic triptych.

The portrait writ large

Magazine article by Karen Vickery, 2015

Karen Vickery on Chang the Chinese giant in Australia.

Studio portrait of Lord Kitchener, British Secretary of State for War, 1914 by J Russell & Sons

All the way with K of K

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2016

Sarah Engledow bristles at the biographers’ neglect of Kitchener’s antipodean intervention.

High & Bligh

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2008

Joanna Gilmour explores the 1790 portrait of William Bligh by Robert Dodd.

A potpourri of portraits

Magazine article by Natalie Wilson, 2023

Archie 100 curator (and detective) Natalie Wilson’s nationwide search for Archibald portraits unearthed the fascinating stories behind some long-lost treasures.

Trevor Jamieson, 2016 by Brett Canet-Gibson

The more things change...

NPPP 2017 exhibition essay

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2011

Dr Sarah Engledow, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2017 Prize.

In a good paddock

Celebrating a new painted portrait of Joseph Banks, Sarah Engledow spins a yarn of the naturalist, the first kangaroo in France and Don, a Spanish ram.

Cultural kaleidoscope

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2006

The complex connections between four creative Australians; Patrick White, Sidney Nolan, Robert Helpmann and Peter Sculthorpe.

Eileen Dunne in The Hospital for Sick Children, 1940

The incomparable Beaton

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2005

To accompany the exhibition Cecil Beaton: Portraits, held at the NPG in 2005, this article is drawn from Hugo Vickers's authorised biography, Cecil Beaton (1985).

Louis XVI giving final instructions to the Comte de La Perouse, c. 1785

Sea legged frogs

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2011

Joanna Gilmour describes some of the stories of the individuals and incidents that define French exploration of Australia and the Pacific.

Helen Blaxland judging flower arrangements, c. 1940s photographer unknown

Petal to the mettle

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2019

Sarah Engledow lauds the very civil service of Dame Helen Blaxland.

History

About us

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

Little women

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2019

Joanna Gilmour looks beyond the ivory face of select portrait miniatures to reveal their sitters’ true grit.

Christmas Island

This is my last Trumbology before, in a little more than a week from now, I pass to my successor Karen Quinlan the precious baton of the Directorship of the National Portrait Gallery.

Forest Creek, Mount Alexander Diggings, 1852 by S. T. Gill

The Rothschilds, the Montefiores, and the Victorian Gold Rush

Some years ago my colleague Andrea Wolk Rager and I spent several days in the darkened basement of a Rothschild Bank, inspecting every one of the nearly 700 autochromes created immediately before World War I by the youthful Lionel de Rothschild.

Faces of war

Lecture, 14 May 2011

Lesley Harding, Curator, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne explores Albert Tucker’s experience of World War II, his interests in the intersection between psychology and creativity, and their influence on his portrait making.

Some prime ministers