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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.

Sidney Nolan
Sidney Nolan
Sidney Nolan

Sidney Nolan, 1964

Axel Poignant
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

Purchased 2003

Patrick White with Tom Jones
Patrick White with Tom Jones
Patrick White with Tom Jones

Patrick White with Tom Jones, 1956

Axel Poignant
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2003

Arthur Boyd
Arthur Boyd
Arthur Boyd

Arthur Boyd, 1962

Axel Poignant
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2003

Albert and his wife Rubina, Macdonnell Ranges
Albert and his wife Rubina, Macdonnell Ranges
Albert and his wife Rubina, Macdonnell Ranges

Albert and his wife Rubina, Macdonnell Ranges, 1946

Axel Poignant
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper

Purchased 1999

Marianne Egan and her children Gertrude Evans Cahuac and Henry William Cahuac

Maritime disaster leaves poignant picture

Devotion

Absence rends the heart asunder

Patrick White and Manoly Lascaris

A life shared

Devotion

Wartime romance

The conscious unconscious, Saturday morning sleep in, 2013 by Justin Aaron Spaull

The conscious unconscious, Saturday morning sleep in, 2013

by Justin Aaron Spaull
Image
Patrick White at Centennial Park, 1979–1980

White Whiteley

The portrait of Patrick White by Brett Whiteley
Previous exhibition, 2012

Eleven works by Brett Whiteley, centred around his scintillating 'Patrick White at Centennial Park 1979-1980'.

Portrait 64

Summer 2019/20
Magazine

Marian Anderson, emerging photographer Charles Dennington, piscatorial portraits, and the poignant path of photographer Polixeni Papapetrou and more.

The uncertain recovery, 2012 by Arianne McNaught

Arianne McNaught

Finalist interviews

I think the most important thing in capturing candid shots is to never take the photo when people are expecting you to press the shutter. The more poignant moments are not the stock standard images of people looking at the camera smiling but after or before when they are really interacting with each other.

National Portrait Gallery Art Handlers' Award

Art Handlers' Award 2024

General content

This year, Shelley Xue 谊 (ah Yi) 2024 has been selected the winner for the 2024 NPPP Art Handlers’ award.

Lovers And Luggers : Publicity Shot featuring Shirley Ann Richards Lloyd Hughes And Elaine Hamill (1937)

Starstruck

Australian Movie Portraits
Previous exhibition, 2017

Striking, beautiful portraiture comes out of the most thoroughly documented creative process there is – filmmaking. In a ground-breaking collaboration the National Portrait Gallery and National Film and Sound Archive invite you into this captivating realm between real and fictional worlds. 

Portrait of Ali, 2014 by Hoda Afshar

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2015

Previous exhibition, 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.

Mel, 2024 Kat Weir

Mel

Kat Weir
Image
© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia

Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196

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