Search / harry williams

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on resin-coated paper

Harry Williams (b. 1951) is a Wiradjuri man and the first Indigenous footballer to represent Australia at international level.

1 portrait in the collection

Harry Williams, 2005

Sahlan Hayes

Purchased 2006

Harry O'Reilly

Harry O'Reilly was a war artist working through WWI and friend of Colonel J.C.M.

1 portrait in the collection

Harry Borden

Harry Borden is an English photographer who has specialised in photographing celebrities, among them Kylie Minogue.

1 portrait in the collection

Harry Hudson

Harry Hudson (1907-1974) was a Melbourne-based painter. His work was included in a number of group exhibitions at the Bridget McDonnell Gallery, Carlton in the 1980s along with those of such notable artists as Roland Wakelin, Grace Cossington-Smith and James Gleeson.

1 portrait in the collection

Harry Hopman

Harry Hopman (1906-1985), tennis professional, won seven major Australian titles in the 1930s, notably four mixed doubles with his first wife, Nell Hall.

1 portrait in the collection

Harry Kewell

Harry Kewell (b. 1978), Australia’s greatest ever soccer export, attended Sydney’s Westfields Sports High School and the NSW Soccer Academy before trialling with English club Leeds United in 1995, at the age of 16.

2 portraits in the collection

Harry Messel AC CBE

Harry Messel AC CBE (1922-2015), scientist and academic, was born in Canada and gained his qualifications there and in Scotland and Ireland.

2 portraits in the collection

Harry Seidler AC OBE

Harry Seidler AC OBE (1923–2006), architect and designer, was born in Vienna and completed his early architectural studies in England and Canada.

4 portraits in the collection

Harry Messel

In their own words

Recorded 1972

Harry Seidler part one

In their own words

Recorded 1972

Transition, 2009

by Harry Scott

Portrait, charcoal and white pastel on paper laid on cardboard

Harry Seidler part two

In their own words

Recorded 1972

Colonel J.C.M. Traill DSO MC, c. 1921

Harry O'Reilly

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mr C.W. Traill 2001

Michael Hutchence by Harry Borden

Portrait story

An interview with photographer Harry Borden about his portrait of Michael Hutchence.

Harry Kewell, 2006

Robin Sellick

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2006

fresh from the Channel Fleet (Sir Harry Holdsworth Rawson)

Sir Harry Holdsworth Rawson GCB GCMG

Sir Harry Holdsworth Rawson GCB GCMG (1843–1910) was appointed governor of New South Wales in January 1902 having distinguished himself in the course of various conflicts as an officer of the Royal Navy.

1 portrait in the collection

Harry Seidler, Killara, Sydney, 1984 (printed 2000)

The series 'David Moore: From Face to Face' was acquired as a gift of the artist and with financial assistance from Timothy Fairfax AC and L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2001

Harry Seidler, n.d.

Louis Kahan AO

Portrait, oil on canvas laid on composition board

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

Professor Harry Messel, 1973

Louis Kahan AO

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mrs Lily Kahan 2006
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Harry Kewell, 2011

Julian Kingma

Portrait, fibre-tipped pen and pen and ink on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

Harry Messel, n.d.

Louis Kahan AO

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

Creative angst, 2011

by Mark Tedeschi

Michael Hutchence, 1997

Harry Borden

Portrait, pen, ink and gouache on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1999

Flynn of the Inland, 1955-1956

Harry Hudson

Purchased 1999

R. M. Williams AO CMG

RM (Reginald Murray) Williams AO CBE (1908-2003), saddlery, boot and clothing manufacturer, miner and author, moved to Adelaide from his birthplace near the Flinders Rangers when he was 10.

1 portrait in the collection

Walter Gropius and Harry Seidler, 1954

Max Dupain OBE

Purchased with funds provided by Timothy Fairfax AC 2003

John Williams AO OBE

John Williams AO OBE, (b. 1941), guitar virtuoso, had his first guitar lessons from his father, and from the age of eleven attended summer schools with the Spanish maestro Andrés Segovia in Italy.

1 portrait in the collection

Edith E. Williams

Edith Ellen Williams (nee Horne, (1851–1885) was the first wife of Hartley Williams (1843–1929), a Victorian Supreme Court judge from 1881 until 1903.

1 portrait in the collection

John Williams

John Williams (1796-1839), missionary, began his working life in 1810, apprenticed to an ironmonger, but in 1814 he underwent an Evangelical conversion and became a member of the Tabernacle Church (Calvinistic Methodist).

1 portrait in the collection

Sir Hartley Williams

Sir Hartley Williams (1843–1929), judge, was the third child and second son of Edward Eyre Williams and his wife, Jessie.

1 portrait in the collection

Fred Williams

Fred Williams OBE, painter and etcher, was one of the most important Australian artists of the twentieth century.

14 portraits in the collection

Sir Edward E. Williams

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

Philip Williams

During 46 years as a journalist, Philip Williams (b. 1957) covered the world’s biggest news events.

1 portrait in the collection

Barry & Alkirra – The House in Carrington, 2014

by Katherine Williams

Self portrait at easel, 1960-1961

Gift of Lyn Williams 1998. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program.

R. M. Williams, 1982 (printed 2005)

John Elliott

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Hal Hattam, 1960

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Hattam family in memory of Hal and Kate Hattam 2006
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Ita Buttrose, 1981

Purchased 1999

Al Grassby and Penny Dent, Community Relations Commission, Canberra

Al Grassby and Penny Dent, Community Relations Commission, Canberra, 1982

Purchased 1999

Tony Roche, Harry Hopman and John Newcombe,

Ern McQuillan OAM

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2003

John Williams, 2000 (printed 2022)

Polly Borland

Purchased 2022

Portrait of Lady Eyre Williams (Jessie Gibbon)

Lady Jessie Eyre Williams

Johnstone O'Shannessy & Co

Jessie, Lady Eyre Williams (neé Gibbon, 1815-1903), colonial spouse, was the daughter of an Aberdeenshire clergyman.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir Hartley Williams, c. 1871

Portrait, albumen silver photograph, hand coloured on paper

Gift of Ross and Judy O'Connell 2016

Edith Ellen Williams, c. 1871

Johnstone O'Shannessy & Co

Portrait, albumen silver photograph, hand coloured on paper

Gift of Ross and Judy O'Connell 2016

Portrait of Philip Williams, 2019

Gift of Rick Amor and Meg Williams in memory of Althea 'Bid' Williams 2020. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Fred Williams, 1969

Portrait, pencil and watercolour on paper

Purchased 1999

Fred Williams, 1980

Andrew Sibley

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

Fred Williams - Painter, 1981

Rennie Ellis

Portrait, wood engraving (Baxter print) on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Reverend John Williams, c. 1837

George Baxter

Purchased 2012

Fred Williams, Upwey, Victoria, 1963 (printed 2000)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2001. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
The series 'David Moore: From Face to Face' was acquired as a gift of the artist and with financial assistance from Timothy Fairfax AC and L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2001.

Clifton Pugh painting in the studio, 1974

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Lyn Williams AM 2011
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Fred Williams, 1980

Andrew Sibley

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

John Perceval painting, 1958

Portrait, drypoint on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of James Mollison AO 2007

Sketch portrait of David Aspden, 1975

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Lyn Williams AM 2011
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Portrait of Patrick Ryan, 1971

Portrait, gouache on paper laid on board

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Tim Fairfax AC 2012

Murray Bail, 1980-1981

Gift of an anonymous donor 1999. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Rev. Fred Nile, Festival of Light, Sydney

Rev. Fred Nile, Festival of Light, Sydney, 1981

Purchased 1999

Angus Trumble with Self portrait at easel by Fred Williams

Autumn in Canberra

Portrait, albumen silver photograph, hand coloured on paper

In Persuasion (1818), a long walk on a fine autumn day affords Anne Elliot an opportunity to ruminate wistfully and at great length upon declining happiness, youth and hope.

Sir Edward Eyre Williams, 1872

Thomas Foster Chuck

Gift of Ross and Judy O'Connell 2016

Stephen Murray-Smith, 1980

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, hand coloured on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Lyn Williams AM 2011
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Marc Newson, 1990

Jim Rolon

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2012

fresh from the Channel Fleet (Sir Harry Holdsworth Rawson), 1901

Sir Leslie Ward, Vanity Fair Magazine

Portrait, chromolithograph on paper

Purchased 2015

Chance encounter

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2009

Joanna Gilmour explores the life and times of one of Melbourne's early socialites, Jessie Eyre Williams.

Portrait of Lady Eyre Williams (Jessie Gibbon), 1833

Claude-Marie Dubufe

Magazine article by Christine Clark, 2006

Purchased 2009

Adam Scott: at Sanctuary Cove Golf Course

Celebrities on the field

Robin Sellick's portraits of Australian sportspeople include Harry Kewell, Adam Scott, Shane Warne, Mark Webber and John Newcombe.

Harry and Penelope Seidler, 15 December 1958

John Hearder

Portrait, photograph on paper

Gift of Penelope Seidler AM 2021

John Hearder

Society of Artists Selection Committee, 1907

Henry King

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2011

Purchased 2008

Painting mates

Michael Desmond discusses Fred Williams' portraits of friends, artist Clifton Pugh, David Aspden and writer Stephen Murray-Smith, and the stylistic connections between his portraits and landscapes.

Australian Aboriginal Cricketers, 1867

Patrick Dawson

Portrait, albumen silver photograph on original lithograph title sheet

Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2009

John Laws, 1981

Portrait, monoprint on paper

Purchased 1999

Olly's Trolly, Freddie's Brushes, 1989

Murray Walker

Gift of the artist 2001

Hermannsburg Potters, 1999

Greg Weight

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Gina and Ted Gregg 2010

Marlon Williams, 2015

by Dean Golja

Portrait, albumen photograph on cabinet card

George Trott (George Henry Stevens (Harry) Trott, member of the 1896 Australian Cricket Team)

George Trott (George Henry Stevens (Harry) Trott, 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

Harry Belafonte

Dorothy Wilding

Portrait, albumen photograph on cabinet card

Marc Besen AC and Eva Besen AO
Featuring a favourite painting, Fred Williams ‘Wild Dog Creek’ 1977

Marc Besen AC and Eva Besen AO
Featuring a favourite painting, Fred Williams ‘Wild Dog Creek’ 1977, 2020

Raelene Sharp

Portrait, oil on linen

Commissioned with funds provided by Nigel Satterley AM and Denise Satterley 2020

Henry (Harry) Donnan (member of the 1896 Australian Cricket Team)

Henry (Harry) Donnan (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

Sahlan Hayes

Previous exhibition, 2007

Born in the United Kingdom, Sahlan Hayes lived with his family in the USA, New Zealand and the United Kingdom before settling in Australia.

9 portraits in the collection

Designing the ideal marriage

Devotion

Deep foundations, shared vision

John Brack Portraits

The exhibition includes such striking works as Portrait of Fred Williams, and Barry Humphries in the character of Edna Everage, the enigmatic Portrait of Hal Hattam, a group of revealing self portraits including the mysterious Inside and Outside, as well as endearing portraits of the artist's children.

Penelope Seidler, 2019 (printed 2021)

Anne Zahalka

Portrait, pigment ink print on paper

Purchased 2021

Sisters baking, 2009

by Hamish Gregory

Portrait, pigment print on paper

Here’s looking at you, kid

Devotion

Is he thinking of me?

The hoodie, 2021 (printed 2023)

Jacob Nash

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2023

Trent Nathan and Shane Barr, 1995 (printed 2018)

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2018

Bruce Tyrrell, 1986 (printed 2018)

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2018

Peter Craven, 2015

Portrait

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

Hal Hattam

Harold 'Hal' Hattam (1913-1994), doctor, artist and art collector, came to Australia from his native Scotland at the age of seven.

1 portrait in the collection

Binem Grunstein, c. 1948

an unknown artist

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Harry Grunstein and Sarah Grunstein in memory of their father 2015

Tommy Emmanuel, 1993

Jim Rolon

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2012

Captain Robert Clark Morgan

Captain Robert Clark Morgan (1798-1864), Christian mariner, whaler and diarist, entered the Royal Navy at the age of eleven, leaving at sixteen for the merchant marine and beginning a career in whaling, a pursuit he relished.

1 portrait in the collection

Yahoo Serious, 1989 (printed 2018)

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams in memory of Peta Brownbrooke-Benjamins 2018

Designing the modern world

Nearest & Dearest

Friendship, education, inspiration

Les Enfants du Paradis, 2012

by Tracey Schramm

phra ajahn ekaggata fka terry milligan

Portrait 40

July - August 2011

Magazine

This issue features Claudia Karvan & Jimmy Pozarik, Agus Suwage & Contemporary Portraiture from Asia, Fred Williams, Zhong Chen, John Bell, The French Antipodes and more.

Bill Leak, 1984

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2011

First line in the water, 2014

by Reece McMillan

George Henry Stevens Trott

George Henry Stevens (Harry) Trott (1866–1917) was the captain of the Australian cricket team which toured England and then to the USA and New Zealand from June to November 1896.

1 portrait in the collection

Michele Aboud

Michele Aboud, commercial, fashion and portrait photographer, is a graduate of the Photographic College of London and UCLA.

1 portrait in the collection

Fox Place, 2015

by Mikhaila Jurkiewicz

Cut and thrust

Environmental activists

Harry Butler, Tim Flannery and Ian Kiernan

Penelope Seidler AM

Penelope Seidler AM (b. 1938), architect, is one of three children of barrister and state parliamentarian Clive Evatt QC (1900–1984) and his wife Marjorie.

2 portraits in the collection

Tony Mitchell

Australian Athletes in Focus

Tony Mitchell was in a band called Wheelbarrow, who released a single, 'Dame Zara' before Mitchell left to join Harry Young and Sabbath.

3 portraits 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.

Kelly Dixon

Kelly Dixon is one of Australia's best-known bush balladeers. His poems have been set to music by some of Australia's leading country music stars - including Slim Dusty, who recorded Kelly's classic "Leave Him Out There in the Longyard." Kelly's verses have been collected in the books From a Drifter's Pen and From Under the Cross.

1 portrait in the collection

Binem Grunstein

Binem (Bill) Grunstein (1921-2013), garment manufacturer and artist, escaped the Warsaw Ghetto in 1941, having seen his parents and most of his family members die of typhus or disappear.

1 portrait in the collection

Ngambri Woman

Narelle Zeller

Harold Thornton

The life of eccentric Sydney artist Harry 'The Kangaroo' Thornton is yet to be thoroughly researched.

2 portraits in the collection

Kelly Dixon, Tent Hill, Qld, 2004

John Elliott

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005

Rod Laver AC

Rod Laver MBE (b. 1938), tennis champion, is the only player in the history of the game to win the Grand Slam twice.

1 portrait in the collection

Ben Baker

Previous exhibition, 2015

Born in Adelaide and raised in Darwin, Ben Baker currently resides in New York City and works internationally.

1 portrait in the collection

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2015

The National Photographic Portrait Prize 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.

Aaron Woodcock

Aaron 'Tommy' Woodcock (1905-1985), horse strapper and trainer, was the son of a Cobb and Co driver and expressed his affinity with horses from an early age.

1 portrait in the collection

Paul Boston, 1995

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Rick Amor and Meg Williams 2015
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Rudy Komon

Rudy Komon (1908-1982) was an art dealer and gallery director. After working as a journalist in Czechoslovakia, where he served with the Czech resistance during the war, he emigrated to Sydney and opened an antique store.

3 portraits in the collection

Neville Gruzman AM

Neville Gruzman AM (1925–2005), architect and lecturer, was born in Sydney, the son of immigrants of Russian heritage.

1 portrait in the collection

Rennie Ellis

Aussies All

Captain Moonlite et al on trial for murder

Rennie Ellis: Aussies All is a celebration of the life and work of the late Australian photographer Rennie Ellis.

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

Diseased curiosity

Just after 10.00 o'clock on 3 December 1879, four prisoners were brought from their cells at Darlinghurst Gaol and placed in the dock of a courtroom heaving with agitated spectators

Hearts and craft

Passion

The long game

Thomas Purves

Thomas Purves (1909-1969), known as Tam, founded the Australian Galleries in Smith Street, Collingwood, Melbourne with his wife Anne in 1956.

1 portrait in the collection

William Wilberforce

Sir Thomas Lawrence

I dream of Sam Neill when I go to bed, 1986 Davida Allen

The actor, the artist, her life and her fantasies

Lust

Feeling sexy

Sydney Edward Gregory

Sydney Edward Gregory (1870–1929) was born on the site of the Sydney Cricket Ground, the son of batsman Ned Gregory (1839–1899), who was one of five boys from the same family who all played cricket at national or international level.

1 portrait in the collection

Henry Donnan

Henry (Harry) Donnan (1864-1956) notched up a total of 94 first class cricket matches between 1887 and 1901.

1 portrait in the collection

George Richmond

Portrait, modern bromide print on paper from an original negative

George Richmond, son of the miniature painter Thomas Richmond, grew up in London, took early artistic instruction from his father and enrolled in the Royal Academy Schools in 1824.

1 portrait in the collection

Annette Kellerman smiling, c. 1907 (printed 2003)

H. Walter Barnett

Gift of an anonymous donor 2004

Mrs Bonney flying from Australia to South Africa via Siam. Singapore 1937 (in her aeroplane,

Mrs Bonney flying from Australia to South Africa via Siam. Singapore 1937 (in her aeroplane, "My Little Ship II), 1937

an unknown artist

Portrait, carbon print on paper

Purchased 2012

Mrs Bonney flying from Australia to South Africa via Siam. Singapore 1937 (full length portrait)

Mrs Bonney flying from Australia to South Africa via Siam. Singapore 1937 (full length portrait), 1937

an unknown artist

Portrait, carbon print on paper

Purchased 2012

Rudy Komon, c. 1970

Lewis Morley

Magazine article by Andrew Sayers AM, 2003

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

Facing Facts

Former NPG Director, Andrew Sayers describes the 1922 Self-portrait with Gladioli by George Lambert.

Harmony (Self portrait)

Paule Vézelay

Portrait, colour digital print on photographic paper

David Moore, Max Dupain and John Gollings

David Moore, Max Dupain and John Gollings, 1980

Kate Gollings

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Marilyn Darling AC 2001

Syd Gregory (Sydney Edward Gregory, member of the 1896 Australian Cricket Team), 1896

H Parker Rolfe

Portrait, albumen photograph on cabinet card

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

Judy Davis on the set of 'Heatwave', Sydney

Judy Davis on the set of 'Heatwave', Sydney, 1981 (printed 2000)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
The series 'David Moore: From Face to Face' was acquired as a gift of the artist and with financial assistance from Timothy Fairfax AC and L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2001

Max Dupain, Artamon, Sydney, 1979 (printed 2000)

The series 'David Moore: From Face to Face' was acquired as a gift of the artist and with financial assistance from Timothy Fairfax AC and L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2001

Louise Forthun

Louise Forthun (b. 1959), artist, works primarily in painting and printmaking and has an aesthetic and conceptual focus on the architectural landscape of Australia's urban environments.

1 portrait in the collection

Burnum Burnum, 1987 (printed 2010)

Bruce Postle

Purchased with funds provided by James Bain AM and Janette Bain 2010

Vali Myers, 2001

Eva Collins

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2003

2015-17 Acquisition Fund

Portrait, carte de visite photograph

From 2015 to 2017 the Acquisition Fund was focussed on Reg Richardson AM by Mitch Cairns, a finalist in the Archibald Prize 2014, and a great example of minimalist portraiture.

Sir George Ferguson Bowen, c. 1873

Bardwell's Royal Studio

Purchased with funds provided by Graham Smith 2009

The tennis player (Ken Rosewall), 2010

Sinead Davies

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2010

George Andronicus, 1985 (printed 2018)

Magazine article by Diana Warnes, 2007

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2018

Melbourne experience

Diana Warnes explores the lives of Hal and Katherine 'Kate' Hattam through their portraits painted by Fred Williams and Clifton Pugh.

Harold Mitchell AC

Portrait, charcoal on paper

Harold Mitchell AC (1942-2024), businessman and philanthropist, left his home town of Stawell at seventeen to become an office boy in a Melbourne advertising agency.

1 portrait in the collection

Girl (portrait of Barbara Blackman), 1969

Charles Blackman OBE

Purchased 2009

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.

James Mollison AO

James Mollison AO (1931–2020) was the inaugural director of the National Gallery of Australia.

2 portraits in the collection

Max Dupain OBE

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, hand coloured on paper

Max Dupain OBE (1911–1992) was a pioneering modernist photographer.

98 portraits in the collection

Jimmy Barnes, 1986

Jim Rolon

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2012

Burnum Burnum

Burnum Burnum (1936–1997), Woiworung/Yorta Yorta activist, actor and author, was born at Wallaga Lake and taken from his family at three months old after his mother died.

2 portraits in the collection

Hilary McPhee, 2015

Magazine article by Christine Clark, 2006

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2015

Ready , set... shoot

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

Grazia Gunn, 2014

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2015

Kate Hattam

Kathleen 'Kate' Hattam (1923–2004), stylesetter and art collector, was born in London and served with the Women’s Royal Air Force during the Second World War, stationed in radar at Beachey Head.

1 portrait in the collection

Ken Rosewall AM MBE

Portrait, synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Ken Rosewall AM MBE (b. 1934), champion tennis player, won the Australian Open in 1953 and again nineteen years later in 1972 (he remains both the youngest, and oldest, person to win the title).

1 portrait in the collection

Patrick McCaughey, 1985

Fred Cress

Gift of the artist 2005. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Tommy Woodcock and Reckless, 1977 (printed 2010)

Bruce Postle

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by James Bain AM and Janette Bain 2010

Robert W. Pohlman

Robert Williams Pohlman (1811–1877), judge, arrived in Melbourne in 1840 and with his brother acquired a sheep station, Darlington (later Glenhope), near Kyneton.

1 portrait in the collection

Rose Scott

Rose Scott (1847-1925), feminist and social reformer, devoted much of her life to campaigns that resulted in increased independence for Australian women.

1 portrait in the collection

2021 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.

Stevie Wright

Stevie Wright (1947-2015), singer songwriter, came to Australia from England at the age of nine.

2 portraits in the collection

Barbara Blackman, 2008

Gorgi Dimcevski

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Barbara Blackman 2009

Fiona McMonagle

Fiona McMonagle, an Irish-born, Melbourne-based artist, grew up in an outer suburb of Melbourne and completed a qualification in visual arts at RMIT before progressing to the Victorian College of the Arts.

1 portrait in the collection

James Mollison, c. 1973 (printed 2004)

Wesley Stacey

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of James Mollison AO 2004

Henry Crock AO

Henry 'Harry' Crock AO (1929-2018), surgeon and educator, attended school and university in Perth and studied further in Melbourne, where he won the Rector's Medal for Debating at Newman College as well as academic honours including the Gold Medal for Anatomy and the Ryan Scholarship and Medal in Medicine and Surgery.

1 portrait in the collection

Peter Elliott, 1964

Jon Molvig

Gift of Richard Elliott 2016. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Manning Clark, 1985

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Dick Düsseldorp, 1991 (printed 2018)

Purchased 2018

Barbara Blackman AO

Barbara Blackman AO (b. 1928), writer, poet and arts patron, was only fifteen when the ABC Weekly published one of her poems.

5 portraits in the collection

Self portrait

Sir Anthony van Dyck

Steve Kilbey, 1981 (printed 2018)

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2018

Georges Mora

Georges Mora (1913-1992) was born Gunter Morawski to a Leipzig Jewish bourgeois family of Polish descent.

1 portrait in the collection

Leonard Ian Roach

Leonard Ian Roach (1925-2003), founding chairman of the Australian Stock Exchange, initiated the amalgamation of six stock exchanges, one in each State capital, into an Australian Stock Exchange in the mid-1980s.

1 portrait in the collection

2013-14 Acquisition Fund

This 1910 portrait of Elizabeth Sarah (Lillie) Roberts by Tom Roberts was brought into the Gallery's collection with the assistance of the Acquisition Fund in 2013.

Judy Davis

Judy Davis (b. 1955), actor, director and two-time Oscar nominee, has won many acting accolades, including eight AACTA awards, three Emmy awards, two BAFTAs and two Golden Globes.

3 portraits in the collection

The Waxworks

Waxworks were among the various types of entertainment venue to emerge in Australian cities in the mid-nineteenth century.

Peter Elliott AM

Peter Elliott AM (1927–2014) was an obstetrician, gynaecologist and gynaecological oncologist as well as a significant art collector and patron.

6 portraits in the collection

Neville Bonner AO

Neville Bonner (1922–1999) was the first Indigenous Australian elected to federal parliament.

2 portraits in the collection

Vali Myers

Vali Myers (1930-2003) artist, vagabond and agitator, was born near Box Hill and moved to Melbourne at the age of eleven.

1 portrait in the collection

Neville Gruzman, 1968

Eric Smith

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2007

Alan Goldberg, 2014

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

2014-15 Acquisition Fund

Kristin Headlam's portrait of Chris Wallace-Crabbe was acquired with the support of the Circle of Friends in 2014.

Ivy Shore

Magazine article by Rick Amor, 2021

Ivy Shore (1915–1999), painter, was born in Melbourne, daughter of a South Australian suffragette, Elka, and engineer John Williams.

2 portraits in the collection

Observation point

While visiting the National Portrait Gallery I noticed the absence of paintings of journalists.

Famous

Karin Catt Portraits

Australian photographer Karin Catt has photographed world leaders, a host of rock stars and Oscar-winning compatriots Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, and Cate Blanchett.

Donors

$10,000 - $49,999

L. Ian Roach, 1994

Paul Fitzgerald AM

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Australian Securities Exchange 2012
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Dawn Fraser AC MBE

Dawn Fraser AC MBE (b. 1937), swimming champion, had a stranglehold on the women's 100m freestyle from 1956 to 1964.

2 portraits in the collection

Tony Adam

Tony Adam (b. 1938) model, grazier and farmhand, grew up in Melbourne and attended Melbourne Grammar school, but left when he was sixteen.He went to work on Angledool and Llanillo stations in outback New South Wales and Queensland.

1 portrait in the collection

Rod Laver,

Ern McQuillan OAM

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2003

Jan Senbergs, 2015

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

Tribute

Stevie Wright

Magazine article, 2016

Stevie Wright (1947-2015), singer-songwriter, came to Australia from England at the age of nine.

Annual Appeal

Listed by year

La Milo in Lady Godiva procession, Coventry, 1907

Pansy Montague

Portrait Photography from the Collection

Pansy Montague, ‘La Milo’ (c. 1885-unknown) appeared as a chorus girl and actress in Melbourne from about 1898, and in 1901 understudied Nellie Stewart in Sydney.

10 portraits in 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.

OBEY

Shepard Fairey Posters

Previous exhibition, 2009

Shepard Fairey is best known for his iconic poster Obama/Hope which he made in support of Barack Obama for the 2008 US election.

Portrait of Georges Mora, 1956

Charles Blackman OBE

Portrait, oil on paper laid on board

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Supporters

$5,000 - $9,999

Previous exhibition, 2014

Rick Amor

21 Portraits

Rick Amor, noblest yet most unaffected of contemporary Australian portraitists, is also a painter of enigmatic, ominous landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes that haunt the viewer like dreams, dimly-recalled.

Murray Rose, Jon Henricks and John Devitt

Murray Rose, Jon Henricks and John Devitt, 1955

Ern McQuillan OAM

Magazine article by Stuart Purves, 2016

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2004

Bonfire of the vanities

Australian Galleries Director Stuart Purves tells the story of two portraits by John Brack.

Thomas Foster Chuck

Thomas Foster Chuck (1826-1898), photographer and entrepreneur, was born in London and arrived in Victoria in 1861.

4 portraits in the collection

Henry Edwards

Henry (Harry) Edwards (1827–1891), actor and entomologist, arrived in Melbourne in 1853 after a short-lived attempt at studying for a career in law.

1 portrait in the collection

2023 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.

Malcolm J. McCusker AC CVO KC

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2010

Barrister and philanthropist Malcolm James McCusker AC CVO KC was born in Subiaco, Western Australia in 1938.

1 portrait in the collection

Suave

Charles Haddon Chambers the Australian-born playboy playwright settled permanently in London in 1880 but never lost his Australian stance when satirising the English.

The Saints, 1978 (printed 2018)

Magazine article by Rod Kemp, 2003

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2018

A gift for all ages

The then Minister for the Arts and Sport, Rod Kemp, reflects on the value of the Cultural Gifts Program.

Annette Kellerman

Annette Kellerman (1886–1975), champion swimmer and entertainer, was among the early twentieth century's most recognisable women.

2 portraits in the collection

Ross Edwards

Self Portraits in Australia

Ross Edwards (b. 1943), composer, became determined upon a life of composition as a child.

1 portrait in the collection

To Look Within

Previous exhibition, 2004

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

Open Air

Portraits in the Landscape

Previous exhibition, 2008

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

Paul Cox, 2015

Portrait, albumen silver carte de visite

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

Right Rev Dr Lawrence Bonaventure Sheil OSF

Right Rev Dr Lawrence Bonaventure Sheil OSF, c. 1872

Bardwell's Royal Studio

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Julia Matthews, c. 1862

Davies & Co

Portrait, albumen silver photograph carte de visite on card

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Australian Visit

Portrait, albumen silver carte de visite

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.

William Saurin Lyster, mid to late 1860s

Davies & Co

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

First Ladies

Significant Australian Women 1913–2013

Previous exhibition, 2013

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

Marion Borgelt

Previous exhibition, 2003

Marion Borgelt (b. 1954) grew up on a farm in the Wimmera district in western Victoria and attained her Diploma in Fine Art, majoring in painting, from the South Australian School of Art in 1976.

1 portrait in the collection

Max Dupain

The Vintage Years

During his long and distinguished career Max Dupain took thousands of photographs of people

Aussies all

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2006

The exhibition Aussies all features the ecclectic portrait photography of Rennie Ellis which captures Australian life during the 70s and 80s.

Clifton Pugh

Australians

Previous exhibition, 2005

This exhibition offers a comprehensive display of Clifton Pugh's portraits revealing his development and growth from tonal paintings to a unique style that was in demand from politicians, artists, academics and Australian personalities.

Prince William of Wales, by Mario Testino, 2003 publ. September 2003.
Credit: Mario Testino

Vanity Fair Portraits

Photographs 1913-2008

Previous exhibition, 2009

Vanity Fair Portraits traces the birth and evolution of photographic portraiture through the archives of Vanity Fair magazine.

Queen Elizabeth II

Portrait, carte de visite photograph

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

Charles Blondin, 1874

Timothy Noble

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2018

Ellyse Perry, 2016

Fiona McMonagle

Portrait, watercolour, ink and gouache on paper

Purchased 2017

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.

Moving pictures

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2008

The exhibition California Video at the J Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles demonstrated how video artists expand the boundaries of portraiture.

Sketch of Clifton Pugh painting John Perceval

Sketch of Clifton Pugh painting John Perceval, 1985

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2016

2020 Annual Appeal

Magazine article by Jenny Gall, 2017

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

Their brilliant careers

Jenny Gall delves into Starstruck to celebrate some of Australian cinema’s iconic women.

Intense identity

Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2009

Dr Chistopher Chapman discusses the portrait of Australian author Christos Tsiolkas taken by John Tsiavis.

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.

Blow Back, 2018

Julie Rrap

Portrait, pigment photographic prints on paper, hand ground glass

Gift of the artist 2024. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program.

Private practice

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2008

David Smith portrayed Dr Henry Crock without the accoutrements of an orthopaedic surgeon, adding to the National Portrait Gallery's collection of eminent Australian medical practitioners.

Jude Rae

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Jude Rae’s high reputation rests on her austere, cerebral still lifes of gas canisters, electric jugs and jars, which she groups and rearranges for paintings that catch their difficult curves and reflections. Her self-portrait’s likewise thoughtfully composed.

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.

William Robinson AO

Infamy, the macabre & the portrait

William Robinson AO (b. 1936) is one of Australia's most distinguished and influential contemporary painters, known for his distinctive and prolific output as landscape painter in particular.

3 portraits 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.

Australian of the Year

Inspiring a Nation

Previous exhibition, 2010

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

Portrait of a Modernist

Magazine article by Dimity Goldie, 2003

The National Portrait Gallery acquired the self-portrait by Grace Cossington Smith in 2003.

On the road again

Magazine article by Dr Deborah Hill, 2017

Deborah Hill talks figures with character, as the National Portrait Gallery touring exhibitions program welcomes its millionth visitor.

Figurative foundation

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2010

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

Anthony Anderton

NPPP 2012 learning resource

An interview with the photographer.

I walk the line

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2009

Bruce Petty's animated self portrait captures a life's journey compressed into a few minutes.

Adam’s Prize Apples

Magazine article by Pamela Gerrish Nunn, 2016

Pamela Gerrish Nunn explores New Zealand’s premium award for portraiture.

Portrait Donors

Listed by year

The vision of Gordon and Marilyn Darling

Uncommon Australians

Magazine article by Anne O'Hehir, 2022

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

Judy Davis and Sam Neill in ‘My Brilliant Career’, 1979 David Kynoch

Moving still

Anne O’Hehir on the seductive power of the film still to reflect and shape ourselves and our cultural landscape.

It's a Mora!

Magazine article by Tedi Bills, 2016

Select extracts from Mirka Mora's autobiography, Wicked but Virtuous, provide rich accompaniment to recent Gallery acquisitions.

Murray frees himself from straightjacket in public, 1928 by Sam Hood

Risky business

Magazine article by John Zubrzycki, 2016

John Zubrzycki lauds the characters of the Australian escapology trade.

The numbers man

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2011

Dr. Sarah Engledow tells the story of Australia's first Federal statistician, Sir George Knibbs.

Vintage Max

Magazine article by Gael Newton, 2003

Gael Newton delves into the life and art of renowned Australian photographer, Max Dupain.

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.

Oz and beyond

Magazine article by Diana Warnes, 2007

Martin Sharp fulfils the Pop art idiom of merging art and life.

Untitled #88 (Captain Brad Kilpatrick and Kylie Minogue, Balibo, East Timor, 20 December 1999)

For the boys

Magazine article by Alistair McGhie, 2011

The photographs from Matthew Sleeth's tour of duty series look more like advertisements than images of war.

Painting writing

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2007

Dr Sarah Engledow explores the portraits of writers held in the National Portrait Gallery's collection.

Full time

Magazine article by Alistair McGhie, 2017

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

Sitter still

Magazine article by Emeritus Professor Jaynie Anderson AM, 2015

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

Anna Culliton

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Anna Culliton never had a colouring-in book when she was little. Her parents –Tony, a filmmaker, and Stephanie, a painter – wouldn’t let her have one. Instead, they insisted on her drawing her own pictures to colour-in.

Rick Amor: 21 Portraits

Magazine article by Simon Elliott, 2003

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

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.

Australians in Hollywood

The exhibition Australians in Hollywood celebrated the achievements of Australians in the highly competitive American film industry.

The silent partner

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2015

One half of the team that was Eltham Films left scarcely a trace in the written historical record, but survives in a vivid portrait.

Giving a dam

True south #1

Magazine article by Karen Vickery, 2016

Ensconced and meditative in crisp Tasmania, Joanna Gilmour pays tribute to passionate green advocate and photographer Olegas Truchanas.

Diamond Doll

Karen Vickery delights in a thespian thread of the Australian yarn.

Confessional conversations

The portraiture of Kristin Headlam

Magazine article by Fiona Gruber, 2015

Fiona Gruber investigates the work of Australian painter Kristin Headlam.

Splendid, many-splendoured

Magazine article by Sandra Bruce, 2021

Sandra Bruce gazes on love and the portrait through Australian Love Stories’ multi-faceted prism.

The life of Bryant

Magazine article by Tenille Hands, 2018

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

Hard truths

Magazine article by Jennifer Higgie, 2022

Jennifer Higgie reveals how Alice Neel reinvigorated 20th century portraiture with her honest and perceptive depictions of the human experience.

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.

Lauded legacy

Magazine article by Karl James, 2015

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

Out of the shadows

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2013

Joanna Gilmour profiles the life and times of the shutter sisters May and Mina Moore.

My father-in-law watering his garden, 1986 by Davida Allen

Lovingly observed

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2009

Sarah Engledow previews the beguiling summer exhibition, Idle hours.

Starry knight

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2010

Aircraft designer, pilot and entrepreneur, Sir Lawrence Wackett rejoins friends and colleagues on the walls of the National Portrait Gallery.

Big bouquet of Blackmans

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2013

Dr. Sarah Engledow explores the context surrounding Charles Blackman's portrait of Judith Wright, Jack McKinney and their daughter Meredith.

Mick Jagger, Madonna and Tony Curtis, 1997

The Vanity model

Magazine article by David Friend, 2009

Vanity Fair Editor David Friend describes how the rebirth of the magazine sated our desire for access into the lives of celebrities and set the standard for the new era of portrait photography.

Kristin Headlam

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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.

NPPP 2016 exhibition essay

Magazine article by Judith Pugh, 2005

Penny Grist, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2016 Prize.

A sketch for some portraits

Judith Pugh reflects on Clifton Pugh's approach to portrait making.

Christmas Island

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2013

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.

Generous Janice

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

The personal and the historical

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2019

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.

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

Petal to the mettle

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

The art of Inner Worlds

Lecture, 7 May 2011

Dr Christopher Chapman NPG Curator of Inner Worlds explains the development of an exhibition that spans from Surrealism to contemporary art.

Nicholas Harding: 28 Portraits

Exhibition essay