The National Portrait Gallery would like to thank Robin Sellick for his kind assistance with this project. All images courtesy of the artist.
Robin Sellick: Our values are based on recreation. And the fact of the matter is that what’s important to us is sport. That’s what we care about. So as far as I’m concerned, we should get a giant stone tablet and put it in every airport, Australian flag at the top, and “These things we hold …” so on and so on … and carve it in stone: “This is what’s important to us. Number one: sport.”
A portrait is always a collaboration, so that portrait of Adam is me explaining to him what I’m trying to achieve. I chose him because he had this sort of rock star persona, which was unusual for a golfer. I came to it by thinking of the way, say, the ancient civilisations used to put statues of all of their elite.
Anything that is of any value has to be based in truth. If there’s some truth in the picture, then that lasts. So that’s what I’m always trying to achieve.
Robin Sellick captured a rare moment of quietude from the late conservation star Steve Irwin.
Robin Sellick's portraits of Australian sportspeople include Harry Kewell, Adam Scott, Shane Warne, Mark Webber and John Newcombe.
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