Search / martin sharp

Martin Sharp part one

Recorded 1970

Martin Sharp part two

Recorded 1970

Young Mo (Roy Rene)

An interview with Australian artist and collector of quirky artefacts, Martin Sharp.

Martin Sharp by Garry Shead

Artists Garry Shead and Martin Sharp recount their friendship and the creation of Martin's portrait.

Martin Sharp, 1980

Purchased 2003

Martin Sharp, c. 1974

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

Martin Sharp, 1986

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

Martin Sharp, 1993

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

Martin Sharp, 1971

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

Martin Sharp, 1971

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

Young Mo (Roy Rene), 1977

Gift of Richard Wherrett 1998. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Oz and beyond

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

Professor Suzanne Cory AC FAA FRS, 2016

Gift of the artist 2017

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

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

Martin Schoeller

German-born American photographer Martin Schoeller's first exhibition in Australia presents compelling large-scale portraits. The exhibition explores human identity through photographs of individuals accustomed and unaccustomed to the spotlight.

Wainburranga (Paddy Fordham), 1986

Purchased 2005

Rover Thomas, 1986

Purchased 2005

Jimmy Wululu, 1986

Purchased 2005

James Iyuna, 1986

Purchased 2005

Dan Sultan, 2011

Purchased with funds provided by Ruth and Peter McMullin 2013

Paddy Dhathangu, 1986

Purchased 2005

Big shots

Djon Mundine OAM brings poignant memory and context to Martin van der Wal’s 1986 portrait photographs of storied Aboriginal artists.

John Mawurndjul, 1986

Purchased 2005

John Bulunbulun, 1986

Purchased 2005

Phillip Gudthaykudthay, 1986

Purchased 2005

George Milpurrurru, 1986

Purchased 2005

Fuzzy Leo (Leo Schofield), c. 2000

Gift of Nell Schofield 2020. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Mandy Martin, 1990

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

Martin Grant, 2004

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2006

Catherine Martin, 2001 (printed 2006)

Gift of the artist 2006

Get Wet series (Martin Plaza), 1979

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

Creatures of Leisure series (Martin Plaza), 1982

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2001

Study for the portrait of Aldo Giurgola, 2005

Gift of the artist 2005

Aldo Giurgola, 2005

Gift of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects 2005

Paul Kelly, 2007

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2008

A Life in Service

Artist Mandy Martin describes the creation of her portrait of Aldo Giurgola, principal architect of Australia's Parliament House.

Paul Grabowsky, 2009

Commissioned with funds provided by Patrick Corrigan AM 2009

Paul Grabowsky, 2009

Commissioned with funds provided by Patrick Corrigan AM 2009

The God-shaped hole

Exploring the photographs of Martin Schoeller, Michael Desmond delves into the uneasy pact that exists between celebrity and the camera.

General Eva Burrows AC AO, 2001

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

Jarinyanu David Downs, 1986

Purchased 2005

David Malangi Daymirringu, 1986

Purchased 2005

Paddy Jaminji, 1986

Purchased 2005

Preparatory study for General Eva Burrows AC AO, 2001

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

Preparatory study for General Eva Burrows AC AO, 2001

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

Parabéri, c. 1807

Purchased 2011

Preparatory study for General Eva Burrows AC AO, 2001

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

Dr. Arthur Martin a'Beckett, c. 1840

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2014

Dr. Arthur Martin a'Beckett, 1845

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2014

Jack Lang, 1970

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Elsie Martin 2000

Feel the music

Dr Christopher Chapman discusses the portrait of Australian composer Paul Grabowsky by photographer Martin Philbey.

Cour-rou-bari-gal, 1807

Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2008

Y-erran-gou-la-ga, published 1807

Purchased with funds provided by Ross A Field 2008

Sir James Martin, c. 1880s

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

Oui-re-kine, 1807-1817

Purchased 2009

Nouvelle-Hollane: N.lle Galles de Sud. Ourou-Maraé, dit bull-dog par leas Anglais, Jeune guerrier de la Tribu des Gwea-Gal. (New Holland: New South Wales. Ouron Marae, called Bull Dog by the English. a young Warrior of the Gwea Gal tribe) [From 'Voyage de decouvertes aux terres australies' by Captain Nicolas Baudin, 1800-04], c. 1800

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2013

Nourou-gal-derri, 1807-1817

Purchased 2009

Ourou-Maré, dit Bull-Dog par les Anglais, Jeune Guerrier de la Tribu des Gwé-Gal, 1807-1817

Purchased 2009

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

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

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

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

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

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

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

Preparatory study for 'Nothing's as precious as a hole in the ground'. Test #4 Broadhead and wing pattern, 2001

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2001

Gnoung-a-gnoung-a Mour-re-mour-ga (dit Collins), 1807-1817

Purchased 2009

Voyage de Découvertes aux Terres Australes folio atlas, second edition, containing a double-page map of Australia, seven full-page charts, two double-page views (one of Sydney), 27 hand-coloured engraving plates and 31 uncoloured engraving plates, 1824

Purchased 2017

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

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2016

Portrait 23

This issue of Portrait Magazine features the Reveries: On Photography and Mortality exhibition, Peter Cosgrove, Martin Sharp, Terence Tao and more.

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

Purchased with funds provided by Tim Bednall 2021

Peter Allen, 1980

Purchased 2003

Aldo Giurgola

Romaldo Giurgola talks about his portrait and the relationship between architecture and landscape.

Fuzzy Prime Ministers of Australia

In the one hundred years since Federation, Australia has produced twenty-five Prime Ministers of all shapes, shades and sizes

The love, life and art of Bazmark

Fruitful fusion

Andrew Cowen

Andrew Cowen on photographing his friend Matthew Martin.

John Bell, c. 1968

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

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2014

The National Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition is selected from a national field of entries that reflect the distinctive vision of Australia's aspiring and professional portrait photographers and the unique nature of their subjects.

Portrait 38

This issue features Martin Schoeller, Bess Norriss Tait, Emanuel Solomon and the sisters of St Joseph, Rennie Ellis and AC/DC, John Brack and more.

The photographers

The eight photographers represent diverse styles, specialities and career paths. Abigail Varney, Peter Brew-Bevan, Martin Philbey, John Tsiavis, Michelle Day, Julian Kingma, and Giovanni Lovisetto.

Mick Molloy, 2009

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2009

Errol Flynn, 1938 (printed 2008)

Gift of Michael Desmond 2012

Portrait of Brenda Niall, 1997

Gift of Dr Brenda Niall AO 2019. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Sketch for portrait of Justin O'Brien, 1980

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Margaret Olley Art Trust 2002

Brett Whiteley - portrait 1, 1975

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

Dan the man

Martin Philbey’s portrait of Dan Sultan.

PROMO

This exhibition goes behind-the-scenes and into the spotlight with professional photographers and the stars of Australian television, music and comedy. Whether negotiating the logistics of a big publicity shoot or quietly capturing moments on set during filming, the photographers' stories are intriguing and compelling.

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.

Soffritto di Lucio, 2009

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

101 photographic portraits

Pat Corrigan's generous gift of 100 photographic portraits by Greg Weight.

Portrait 57

The discovery of Dempsey's People, Australian rugby greats, Athol Shmith's progressive pictures, and powerful Indigenous portraits.

Karsh

Yousuf Karsh - the most famous portrait photographer in the world - has photographed the statesmen, artists, literary and scientific figures who have defined the 20th century and shaped our lives, In this, his 90th year, the National Portrait Gallery is thrilled to present an exhibition of Karsh's photography of 20th century figures.

The inside story

The photographers reveal the technical side of their work and reflect on changes in their profession. Now everyone has a camera in their pocket, is everyone a photographer? What is it like to sustain a career as a photographer in the entertainment industry? How do you work with celebrity subjects, negotiate the complex logistics of big shoots, and create captivating portraits under pressure?

Self portrait, 1990

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

Thousand Mile Stare

Thousand mile stare provides a unique portrait of people of rural Australia

Matthew Reilly, 2006 (printed 2009)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2009

Wenten Rubuntja, 1998

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

Wenten Rubuntja, 2001

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

Intimate Portraits

Intimate Portraits is an exhibition of paintings, drawings and prints that explore the less public side of portraiture

Graham Kennedy and the Seekers in Melbourne, c. 1968

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2007

Announcing.... In their own words

Inspiring Australians tell their own stories in a unique new gallery audio tour, developed in collaboration with the National Library of Australia.

Australia's Creative Diaspora

Paris based Australian photographer and filmmaker Nathalie Latham has an ongoing interest in the creative achievements of other Australian artists living in various locations around the globe.

Jeanne Little, 1994 (printed 2021)

Purchased 2021

Judith Inkamala, 1999

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

Uncommon Australians

In 1988 philanthropists Gordon and Marilyn Darling decided to make an Australian portrait gallery a reality, overseeing the development of the 1992 touring exhibition Uncommon Australians.

Lewis Morley

Lewis Morley has a great eye for a shot and a sharp ear for a pun

Arthur Boyd, Bundanon, New South Wales, 1995 (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

The Honorable Sir Frederick Darley, c. 1887

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

Noah Taylor, 1994 (printed 2010)

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2010

My dream job

Artist David M Thomas lists some of the ideas and influences behind his video portraits.

Famous

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

Steve Kilbey, 1981 (printed 2018)

Purchased with funds provided by Wayne Williams 2018

Margel and Tarquin, Canberra, c. 1945

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by the Ross family in memory of Noel and Enid Eliot 2014

A Tribute to William Dobell

Adapted from A Tribute to William Dobell an exhibition presented by the Australian National University's Drill Hall Gallery in association with the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation, The National Gallery of Australia, and the Australian War Memorial. Dobell is of course, celebrated for his achievements in portraiture, winning the Archibald prize (1943, 1948 and 1959), the Wynne Prize (1948), and representing Australia at the 1954 Venice Biennale. Curator Mary Eagle concludes her essay in the catalogue of the exhibition thus, "Overall I see a dissonance in Dobell’s art and life

Cecil Beaton

Accomplished illustrator, painter, writer and diarist, set designer and one of the most distinguished photographers of the twentieth century, Cecil Beaton is renowned for his portraits of well known faces from the worlds of fashion, literature, and film.

Collection: Icons

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

Self portrait, c. 1985

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

Self portrait, 1949

Gift of an anonymous donor 2007

Smoky Dawson, Sydney, 2004

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005

Brian Croser AO, 1998

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

Max Dupain

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

Glossy 2

Following the success of Glossy: Faces, Magazines, Now in 1999 the National Portrait Gallery again highlights the huge array of contemporary portraiture in the pages of magazines.

Master Johnny Day, Australian Champion Pedestrian, c. 1866

Purchased 2014

Icons

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

Heads of the People

For Tom Roberts - Australia's best nineteenth-century portrait painter - neither a proto-national portrait gallery nor more popular collections of portrait heads, were sufficient public celebrations for the notables of Australian history

National Photographic Portrait Prize 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.

Portrait of Cate Blanchett, 2008

Commissioned with funds provided by Ian Darling 2008

Arthur Boyd Portraits

This is the first in a series of National Portrait Gallery exhibitions to survey the portraits painted by artists who are not thought of, primarily, as portrait painters

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

Pre-Raphaelite Profile

In 2006 the National Portrait Gallery acquired a splendid portrait of Victoria's first governor, Lieutenant Governor Charles Joseph La Trobe by Thomas Woolner.

Creative space

Eric Smith describes the agony and finally the ecstasy of winning the 1982 Archibald Prize with the portrait of Peter Sculthorpe.

In a glance

Dr Sarah Engledow explores the portrait of Ninette Dutton by Bette Mifsud.

2015-17 Acquisition Fund

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.

Vanity Fair Portraits

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

Thousand mile stare

John Elliott talks about his photographic portrait practice, including his iconic image of Slim Dusty arm-in-arm with Dame Edna Everage.

Noel McKenna

It’s a matter beyond dispute that in the entire history of Australian art, it’s Noel McKenna who’s painted the liveliest rendition of the head of a Chihuahua.

Face the Music

Australia has become recognised for the range and talent of its musicians, composers, conductors and celebrities in general associated with the music industry

Vintage Max

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

Richard Avedon People media information

Press releases and images downloads for media.

Paul Kelly and The Portraits media information

Paul Kelly & The Portraits presents a multifaceted image of the performer over the course of his career.

Nocturnal animals

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

The boy, the bed and the gun

Christopher Chapman contemplates the provocative performance art of Chris Burden. 

Movement is my radar

Michael Desmond charts the path of portraiture, arriving at Julian Opie’s digital realm.

Open Air

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

NPPP 2010 exhibition essay

Dr Christopher Chapman, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2010 Prize.

The Story So Far...

A reflection on the National Portrait Gallery's first four years.

So Fine

This exhibition features new works from ten women artists reinterpreting and reimagining elements of Australian history, enriching the contemporary narrative around Australia’s history and biography, reflecting the tradition of storytelling in our country.

Insightful

Henri-Cartier-Bresson invented the grammar for photographing life in the 20th century.

Mental as everything

Chris O'Doherty, also known as Reg Mombassa, is best-known for his Mambo imagery but he also paints a lot of self portraits.

Uncommon Australians

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.

The Obama effect

Kim Sajet reflects on two portraits with a power that extends beyond gallery walls.

On the road again

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

The shipwright's arms

Joanna Gilmour explores the life and times of convict-turned-artist William Buelow Gould.

Rock art

Andrew Mayo talks to three of Australia’s most prominent and prolific music photographers — Martin Philbey, Kane Hibberd and Daniel Boud — about the challenges and inspiration behind their craft.

What the tree saw: David Foster, 2018

Commissioned with funds provided by the Sid and Fiona Myer Family Foundation 2018

Seduce, Amuse, Entertain

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

Sideshow Alley

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.

Seduce Amuse Entertain

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

Embrace your inner nerd

The southern winter has arrived. For people in the northern hemisphere (the majority of humanity) the idea of snow and ice, freezing mist and fog in June, potentially continuing through to August and beyond, encapsulates the topsy-turvidom of our southern continent.

Portrait Donors

Joan Alone

Julia Gillard pays poignant tribute to her friend and mentor, the late Joan Kirner, Victoria’s first and only female premier.

9 lives of Karin Catt

Australian photographer Karin Catt has shot across the spectrum of celebrity, her subjects including rock stars, world leaders and actors.

Australians in Hollywood

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

Inditchenous beestes of New Olland

A remarkable undated drawing by Edward Lear (1812–88) blends natural history and whimsy.

Seduce and Destroy

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

Bewitching

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

Shadows of light

Mark Haworth-Booth explains why Bill Brandt is one of the most important British photographers of the Twentieth Century.

Glossy too

The Glossy 2 exhibition highlights the integral role magazine photography plays in illustrating and shaping our contemporary culture.

Storytelling

The fourth row of paintings interweave Ngarranggarni, memories, relationships and Country.

Mrs Cameron and the V&A

In March 2003 Magda Keaney travelled to London to join the photography section of the Victoria & Albert Museum for three months.

Man of the year

Exhibition curator Christine Clark introduces the work by Indonesian artist Agus Suwage created for Beyond the self: Contemporary portraiture from Asia.

Listomania

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.

Jose Legaspi

Jose Legaspi was born in 1959 in Manila. He achieved degrees in zoology and biology before turning to fine arts in the mid-1980s.

Darren McDonald

The wild balancing act of McDonald’s home décor (is that there as a joke? where do I actually sit down? is this ironic or what? what a lovely photo of Darren and Robin in Europe!) is reflected in his own personality.

Hide/Seek

David Ward writes about the exhibition Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture on display at the National Portrait Gallery, Washington.

Every flap, fold and bulge

Keep it in the family

David Solkin ponders the provocations and inspirations of the enigmatic Thomas Gainsborough.

Agus Suwage

Born in 1959, Agus Suwage was educated in the creative hub of Central Java, Yogyakarta before moving west to study graphic design at the Bandung Institute of Technology.

Black and white history

English artist Benjamin Duterrau took up the cause of the Indigenous peoples of Tasmania with his detailed and sympathetic renderings.

Powerful Indigenous women

June Oscar AO lauds three iconic Aboriginal figures in the Portrait Gallery collection who have inspired and influenced her.

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.

Support Crew

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

Pushpamala N

Pushpamala N. was born in 1956 in Bangalore. Her early training was in sculpture, but as her practice progressed she brought an early enthusiasm for narrative figuration into her photographic work.

Trumble's way

At the end of a summer break one is tempted to say that there is nothing much to report. Isn’t one restful holiday very much like another?

The eye and the heart

Nici Cumpston immerses herself in the collective vision of the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2020.

To arrive at hope

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

Head, hand, heart

An extensive selection of portraits by John Brack were on display at the National Portrait Gallery in late 2007.

The play’s the thing

Penelope Grist charts an immersive path through Stuart Spence’s photography.

The Lawrence lustre

Angus Trumble salutes the glorious portraiture of Sir Thomas Lawrence.

Portrait of the Gallery

A design diary retrospective.

Prima facie

Sarah Engledow casts a judicious eye over portraits in the Victorian Bar’s Peter O’Callaghan QC Portrait Gallery.

Hired guns, bounty hunters and horse whisperers

Jude Rae contemplates the portrait commission.

The alchemist’s profile

John Zubrzycki meets Australian paint pioneer Jim Cobb.

Snap decisions

NPPP judge Robert Cook provides irreverent insight into this year’s fare, and having to be a bit judgemental.

Pop poet

Dr Anne Sanders previews the works in the new focus exhibition Paul Kelly and The Portraits.

Their brilliant careers

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

Eating the seasons

Anne Sanders imbibes Tony Bilson’s gastronomic revolution.

Shop Talk

Angus and the arbiters talk (photo) shop for the National Photographic Portrait Prize.

Back in black

Krysia Kitch reviews black chronicles at the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Drawing inspiration

Christopher Chapman absorbs the gentle touch of Don Bachardy’s portraiture.

Robyn Sweaney

Robyn's parents had two terriers, Wuff and Snuff. In spite of Snuff’s ominous name and a couple of close shaves – once, he jumped out of a moving car, and another time, on a long road trip, he was accidentally left behind at a petrol station – he outlived Wuff.

In and out of focus

Gael Newton looks at Australian photography, film and the sixties through the novel lens of Mark Strizic.

Take thy face hence

Joanna Gilmour travels through time to explore the National Portrait Gallery London’s masterpieces in Shakespeare to Winehouse.

More cash than dash

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

The Vanity model

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.

Alter ego

Tom Fryer surveys the twentieth-century architectural project, and finds representation and the portrait were integral elements.

Money for Myth

Australian character on the market by Jane Raffan.

Augustus serendipitous

The London-born son of an American painter, Augustus Earle ended up in Australia by accident in January 1825. 

Cultural kaleidoscope

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

Sea legged frogs

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

Unknown drawer

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

The Thyssen Art Macabre

Books seldom make me angry but this one did. At first, I was powerfully struck by the uncanny parallels that existed between the Mellons of Pittsburgh and the Thyssens of the Ruhr through the same period, essentially the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

Painting writing

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

Getting bare

How seven portraits within Bare reveal in a public portrait parts of the body and elements of life usually located in the private sphere.

Portraiture in a Bleak House

It may seem an odd thing to do at one’s leisure on a beautiful tropical island, but I spent much of my midwinter break a few weeks ago re-reading Bleak House.

A feast of friends

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

First encounters

Representations of the inhabitants of the new world expose the complexities of the colonisers' intentions.

Petal to the mettle

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

Less than six degrees of separation

Dr Anne Sanders NPG Curatorial Researcher investigated the lives of the pioneering psychologists whose portraits are featured in Inner Worlds.

All the way with K of K

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

The Bare story

Curator, Penny Grist, reveals how this exhibition came to be

Everybody, look serious

Dr Sarah Engledow, National Photographic Portrait Prize judge and curator, introduces the 2014 Prize.

Nicholas Harding: 28 Portraits

Sarah Engledow looks at three decades of Nicholas Harding's portraiture.