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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

Mark hanging at the beach, 2006 by Wendy McDougall

Mark hanging at the beach, 2006

by Wendy McDougall
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Megan Wilding as Blackie Blackie Brown: Traditional Owner of Death, 2019 Wendy Sharpe

Megan Wilding as Blackie Blackie Brown: Traditional Owner of Death, 2019

Wendy Sharpe
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Models with trident and 1970s lamp 2013
 by Wendy Sharpe

Observation point

Magazine article by Wendy Sharpe, 2013

Australian artist and Archibald Prize finalist, Wendy Sharpe reflects on the art of portraiture.

A Dance to the Music of Time (Self portrait), 2022 Wendy Sharpe

A Dance to the Music of Time (Self portrait)

Wendy Sharpe
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GANGgajang 1987 Wendy McDougall

GANGgajang 1987

Wendy McDougall
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The Church, 1985 Wendy McDougall

The Church, 1985

Wendy McDougall
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Wendy Sharpe
Wendy Sharpe
Wendy Sharpe

Wendy Sharpe, 2000

Greg Weight
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

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

Wendy Whiteley
Wendy Whiteley
Wendy Whiteley

Wendy Whiteley, 1993

Anne Zahalka
Portrait, ilfochrome photograph on paper

Gift of the artist 2021

Wendy Sharpe in her studio
Wendy Sharpe in her studio
Wendy Sharpe in her studio

Wendy Sharpe in her studio, 2007

Mark Tedeschi
Portrait, type C photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2011

Grace Knight, The Eurogliders  1985 Wendy McDougall

Grace Knight, The Eurogliders 1985

Wendy McDougall
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Doc Neeson, The Angels 1982 Wendy McDougall

Doc Neeson, The Angels 1982

Wendy McDougall
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Hoodoo Gurus, 1984 Wendy McDougall

Hoodoo Gurus, 1984

Wendy McDougall
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Doc Neeson, The Angels 1982 Wendy McDougall

Doc Neeson, The Angels 1982

Wendy McDougall
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Doc Neeson, the Angels 1982 Wendy McDougall

Doc Neeson, the Angels 1982

Wendy McDougall
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The Witching Hour - Elena Kats-Chernin
The Witching Hour - Elena Kats-Chernin
The Witching Hour - Elena Kats-Chernin

The Witching Hour - Elena Kats-Chernin, 2017

Wendy Sharpe
Portrait, oil on canvas

Purchased with the assistance of funds provided by the Circle of Friends 2018

Doc Neeson and drummer Brent Eccles of The Angels performing live onstage 1981 Wendy McDougall

Doc Neeson and drummer Brent Eccles of The Angels performing live onstage 1981

Wendy McDougall
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Neil Finn, Crowded House  1986 Wendy McDougall

Neil Finn, Crowded House 1986

Wendy McDougall
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Jimmy Barnes and Ian Moss, Cold Chisel 1980 Wendy McDougall

Jimmy Barnes and Ian Moss, Cold Chisel 1980

Wendy McDougall
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Wendy Bowman, 2019 David Darcy

Wendy Bowman, 2019

David Darcy
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Wendy Whiteley in conversation with Janet Hawley

19 October 2015
Archived media releases 2015

Wendy Whiteley in candid conversation with Janet Hawley to celebrate the release of the book Wendy Whiteley and The Secret Garden.

Brett Whiteley

The Whiteleys: passion, creation, destruction

Lust

Sensuous symmetry

The Witching Hour - Elena Kats-Chernin

2019-20 Acquisition Fund

Annual Appeal

From 2019 to 2020 the Acquisition Fund was focussed on a large, vibrant portrait of Elena Kats-Chernin by Wendy Sharpe.

Peter Garrett, Midnight Oil, 1986 Bob King

The Mosh Pit

General content

More photographs by Bob King, Stuart Spence, 'pling, Tony Mott, and Wendy McDougall.

People's Choice Award announcement

General content

We are delighted to announce the winner of the $10,000 People's Choice Award for the inaugural Darling Portrait Prize is David Darcy for his painting of farmer and environmentalist Wendy Bowman.

William McMahon
William McMahon
William McMahon

William McMahon, 1973

Victor Greenhalgh
Portrait, ciment fondue

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Paul and Wendy Greenhalgh 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Elizabeth

Darling Portrait Prize 2020

Previous exhibition, 2020

The Darling Prize is a new biennial prize for Australian portrait painters, painting Australian sitters. The winner receives a cash prize of $75,000.

Wendy Bowman, 2019 David Darcy

The People’s Choice Awards

16 June 2020
Archived media releases 2020

The votes have been counted, and the winners of the National Portrait Gallery’s People’s Choice Awards for the Prize exhibitions are...

John Gorton
John Gorton
John Gorton

John Gorton, 1970

Victor Greenhalgh
Portrait, terracotta

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Paul and Wendy Greenhalgh 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Anne Lambert, actor by Stuart Campbell

Between Light and Shadow

Portraits by Stuart Campbell
Previous exhibition, 2011

The late Australian photographer Stuart Campbell produced superb photographs of Australian actors of stage and screen.

Paul Kelly, 1992 by Wendy McDougall

Paul Kelly and The Portraits

Previous exhibition, 2013

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.

Self portrait, Paris
Self portrait, Paris
Self portrait, Paris

Self portrait, Paris, 1989

Brett Whiteley
Portrait, pencil on paper

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2010. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Brett Whiteley
Brett Whiteley
Brett Whiteley

Brett Whiteley, 1974

Lewis Morley
Portrait, type C photograph on paper

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

Harold Holt
Harold Holt
Harold Holt

Harold Holt, 1969

Victor Greenhalgh
Portrait, cast bronze on granite base

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Paul and Wendy Greenhalgh 1999
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Tim Burstall, Andamooka (filming of the Last of the Knucklemen)
Tim Burstall, Andamooka (filming of the Last of the Knucklemen)
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, type C photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2006

John Gorton
John Gorton
John Gorton

John Gorton, 1970 (cast 1999)

Victor Greenhalgh
Portrait, cast bronze

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Cast 1999 from terracotta donated by Paul and Wendy Greenhalgh 1999

Brett Whiteley - portrait 2
Brett Whiteley - portrait 2
Brett Whiteley - portrait 2

Brett Whiteley - portrait 2, 1975

Greg Weight
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

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

Belinda Giblin
Belinda Giblin
Belinda Giblin

Belinda Giblin, n.d.

Stuart Campbell
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

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

Sarah Engledow and Acorn, 2016 by Mark Mohell

Explore The Popular Pet Show

The artists and their furry friends
General content

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

Norman Gunston and Denise Drysdale
Norman Gunston and Denise Drysdale
Norman Gunston and Denise Drysdale

Norman Gunston and Denise Drysdale, 1976 (printed 2010)

Bruce Postle
Portrait, type C photograph on paper

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

Mel Gibson

POL

Portrait of a Generation
Previous exhibition, 2003

POL was a magazine that ran from 1969 to 1986

David Malouf

2012-13 Acquisition Fund

Annual Appeal

The Circle of Friends Acquisition Fund for 2012 was dedicated to purchasing a portrait of David Malouf by Rick Amor.

Wendy drunk 11pm, 1983 by Brett Whiteley

Idle Hours

Previous exhibition, 2009

Idle hours is an exhibition of luxurious beauty. Paintings, prints and drawings represent subjects in quiet moods and situations arranged according to the time of day they depict - reading, drawing, snoozing, bathing, sewing, gardening, sitting, looking, making love and spending tranquil time with companions. Works in the exhibition range from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present.

Self-portrait in black jumper, 2017 Graeme Drendel

Be frank

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2020

Close encounters are the genesis for Graeme Drendel’s enticing portraiture.

Brett Whiteley - portrait 1
Brett Whiteley - portrait 1
Brett Whiteley - portrait 1

Brett Whiteley - portrait 1, 1975

Greg Weight
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

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

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Annual Appeal

Listed by year
Honour board
Barry Humphries

Lewis Morley

Myself and Eye
Previous exhibition, 2003

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

Paul Kelly, 1992 by Wendy McDougall

Paul Kelly and The Portraits media information

18 June 2013
Archived media releases 2013

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

John Coburn

101 photographic portraits

Magazine article by Michelle Fracaro, 2004

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

Turia Pitt

2021 Annual Appeal

Annual Appeal

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

Jimmy Barnes at The Coogee Bay Hotel

Announcing... Pub Rock

11 August 2020
Archived media releases 2020

An exhibition that celebrates the people, places and sounds of Australian pub rock and its enduring impact on the nation’s identity, opens at the National Portrait Gallery on 5 September, 2020.

Graeme Drendel, 2016 by Mark Mohell

Graeme Drendel

Explore The Popular Pet Show

I like talking about Drendel’s pictures as if they expressed dreams of my own.

William Robinson, 2016 by Mark Mohell

William Robinson

Explore The Popular Pet Show

Unique in the world, perhaps, is a bronze sculpture that fuses the age-old human portrait bronze tradition, and the later genre of the bronze pug figurine: that’d be William Robinson’s Self-portrait with pug.

Bob Hawke

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.

Elizabeth

The National Portrait Prizes

29 January 2020
Archived media releases 2020

The National Portrait Gallery today announced finalists for the inaugural Darling Portrait Prize, a national new $75,000 prize for Australian portrait painting, and released selected images from the final prize pool for the popular National Photography Portrait Prize.

June Dally-Watkins

2023 Annual Appeal

Annual Appeal

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

Sammy Dodd

2022 Annual Appeal

Annual Appeal

In 2022 the Annual Appeal was focussed on Mayatjara by Robert Fielding, a series of 24 photographs of Elders of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara community.

Study for Aunty Mary King, 2010 by Mathew Lynn

The animating signature

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2019

Joanna Gilmore delights in the affecting drawings of Mathew Lynn.

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.

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.

Paul Kelly 30.11.1980 by Liz Reed

Pop poet

Magazine article by Dr Anne Sanders, 2013

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

Tempe Manning Self-portrait 1939

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.

Annette Kellerman, c. 1916

Naked ambition

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2009

Joanna Gilmour dives into the life of Australian swimming legend Annette Kellerman.

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.

Cachasunghia, Osage Warrior 1804–06 by Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin

Political profiles

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2016

Joanna Gilmour examines the prolific output of Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin, and discovers the risk of taking a portrait at face value.

Janice Wakely

Generous Janice

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2013

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

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Portrait Donors

Listed by year
Honour board
George Reid paperweight

Some prime ministers

General content

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

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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency