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Basil P. Bressler

Basil Philip Bressler, who died in 2000, was a surveyor with an amateur interest in art and music.

A gift from the heart

Lauren Dalla examines the life of Basil Bressler, the art patron responsible for one of the NPG's most important bequests.

Basil Hetzel, 2007-2008

Commissioned with funds provided by Mrs Diana Ramsay AO 2008

Preparatory study for 'Nothing's as precious as a hole in the ground', 2001

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Simone Young

Get Wet Series, 1979

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Simone Young

Test #1 Ranger 3 Pit Mine Kakadu, N.T.: Preparatory study for 'Nothing's as precious as a hole in the ground', 2001

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Simone Young

Test #4 Broadhead and Wing Pattern: Preparatory study for 'Nothing's as precious as a hole in the ground', 2001

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Test #2 Ranger 3 Pit Mine Kakadu, N.T.: Preparatory study for 'Nothing's as precious as a hole in the ground', 2001

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Test #5 Garrett in landscape: Preparatory study for 'Nothing's as precious as a hole in the ground', 2001

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

'Come + see the real thing, come + see' Conquistadors parts Hong. Ranger 3: Preparatory study for 'Nothing's as precious as a hole in the ground', 2001

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Get Wet series (Reg Mombassa)

Get Wet series (Greedy Smith)

Get Wet series (David Twohill)

Get Wet series (Martin Plaza)

Get Wet series (Peter O'Doherty)

Matcham Skipper, 1963

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2003

Self portrait with pin-up, 1965

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2002

David Campese II, 2000

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Norma Redpath, 1964

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2003

Sir Charles Moses, 1968

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2003

Inge King, 1968

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2003

Douglas Frew Waterhouse, 2003

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2003

Gloves off (Tom Uren), 1996

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Les Murray, 1995

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Simone Young, 2002

Commissioned with funds provided by the Farrell Family Foundation and the Basil Bressler Bequest 2002

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

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Peter Carey in Kelly country, 2000

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Hans Heysen, 1960 (cast 2004)

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2004

Peter Porter, 2004

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2004

Paul Kelly, 2004

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2004

Sir Gustav Nossal, 1979 (printed 1981)

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2003

Kitty Kantilla and Freda Warlapinni at Milikapiti (Snake Bay), 2003

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2004

Nancy Bird Walton - Pioneer, 2003

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2004

N.T. Ranger Uranium: Preparatory study for 'Nothing's as precious as a hole in the ground', 2001

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

The sitter (Drusilla Modjeska), 2001

Purchased with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2002

Peter Sculthorpe, 1982

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2004

Portrait of Professor Derek Freeman, 1996

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Honour board

The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges and thanks all its supporters.

Nothing's as precious as a hole in the ground, 2001

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Betty Cuthbert, 2002

Commissioned with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2002

Preparatory study for Betty Cuthbert, 2002

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2002

Portrait of Elizabeth Jolley, 2003

Commissioned with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2003

Preparatory study for Betty Cuthbert, 2002

Commissioned with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2002

Preparatory study for Betty Cuthbert, 2002

Commissioned with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2002

Head studies: Preparatory study for 'Nothing's as precious as a hole in the ground', 2001

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Makinti Napanangka, Kintore, 2001

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2004

JOH (The Hon Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen), c. 1987

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2003

Bob Ellis, 1999

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Mirror Mirror: Graeme Murphy, 2004

Purchased with the assistance of funds provided by Ann Lewis AM and the Basil Bressler Bequest 2004

Peter Brock, 2000-2001

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Fred Gruen, 1941

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds donated by Andrew Sayers and from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2002

Radical Restraint
Justice Michael Kirby, 1998

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, 2002

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2002

Mark Strizic

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

Sporting Archibald

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.

Paul Kelly and The Portraits

Aspects of singer songwriter Paul Kelly’s performance persona are communicated by portraits selected from a range of artists and leading music photographers in this focus exhibition.

Pin-ups

Christopher Chapman describes the art and life of Australian artist Richard Larter.

Handing on the baton

Michael Desmond explores the life of ballerina Irina Baranova through the portrait by Australian artist Jenny Sages.

Juan Ford

Juan Ford received a Master of Art, by research, from RMIT University in 2001. His many commissions include the National Gallery of Victoria’s interactive work You, me and the flock for Melbourne Now 2013/2014 and a project for Hotel de Immigrantes, a project in Manifesta 9, the European Biennale in 2012.

Making Portraits

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

Seduce and Destroy

Magda Keaney explores the symbolism in eX de Medici's portrait of Midnight Oil.

Explore The Popular Pet Show

Curator, Sarah Engledow, introduces the artists and the animals in The Popular Pet Show.

Open Air

Open Air is an exhibition of portraits of Australians in environments of particular significance to them.

Philanthropic donations enable otherwise unobtainable acquisition

A magnanimous portrait of Helena Rubinstein has been acquired for the National Portrait Gallery’s collection.

Giving and getting

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.

Support Crew

Portraits of philanthropists in the collection honour their contributions to Australia and acknowledge their support of the National Portrait Gallery.

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.

Kristin Headlam

Basil grew into a speckled beauty – a long-legged leaper and an exceptionally vocal dog, with a great register of sounds, ascending in shock value from a whimper to a growl to a bark to a yelp that’s a violation of the ears.

Ellyse Perry, 2016

Purchased 2017

Anna Meares, 2018

Commissioned with funds provided by King & Wood Mallesons 2018

To Look Within

This exhibition is the first comprehensive survey of self-portraits in Australia, from the colonial period to the present

Jenny Sages

The exhibition Sages examines the process of portrait making through four large-scale portraits of women by Jenny Sages, paired with intimate preparatory drawings.

Australian of the Year

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

Primed

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

Time and light

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.

Some prime ministers

Sarah Engledow explores the history of the prime ministers and artists featured in the exhibition.

Full time

Alistair McGhie reminisces about three Australian rugby greats commissioned for the Portrait Gallery collection by Patrick Corrigan AM.

Stubbs and the horse

One of the chief aims of George Stubbs, 1724–1806, the late Judy Egerton’s great 1984–85 exhibition at the Tate Gallery was to provide an eloquent rebuttal to Josiah Wedgwood’s famous remark of 1780: “Noboby suspects Mr Stubs [sic] of painting anything but horses & lions, or dogs & tigers.”

Confessional conversations

Fiona Gruber investigates the work of Australian painter Kristin Headlam.

In good company

Jean Appleton’s 1965 self portrait makes a fine addition to the National Portrait Gallery’s collection writes Joanna Gilmour.

Fiona McMonagle

Fiona aims to create a dangerous situation with a flood of water on the paper, forcing each work to the point where it can fail, and then rescuing it. 

An actress and her fans

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.

Study in scarlet

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