About the NPG
The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) collects portraits. Portraits are artworks of people. They tell us about a person, but they do not always look exactly like them. Portraits can be made in different ways.
The NPG wants everyone to access and see its portraits. It does this by displaying the portraits in galleries and organising creative activities for visitors to take part in.
I can use the NPG website to find out how to get to the NPG, learn more about what I will see, and what fun activities I can join.
Where is the NPG?
The NPG is in Canberra in the Parliamentary Triangle. It’s near the High Court and the National Gallery of Australia.
I can enter the NPG by going up a long ramp from the pick-up, set-down space on King Edward Terrace. (This is a place where cars can stop and let people out. Cars are not allowed to park here.)
1 The pick-up and set-down space in front of the Gallery. 2 The ramp between the pick-up space and entrance.
Where can I park?
The NPG has a car park underneath the building. You enter the car park from Parkes Place.
The car park is open from 8:30am–5:30pm each day. Parking spaces for people with mobility difficulties are provided in the car park close to the public access lifts.
Unless I have a disability parking permit, I will need to pay for parking.
If I have a disability parking permit I can park in the reserved parking bays. The reserved parking bays are close to the lifts to enter the NPG galleries. If I have a disability parking permit I can bring my parking ticket to the Information Desk for free parking.
I will know I am at the main entry when I see a large, orange sculpture.
I can also enter the NPG through the café. The café is on the side of the building closest to the lake and the High Court.
Friendly NPG staff will be near the main entry to welcome me. NPG staff wear tops with a red badge. Security staff wear white shirts and a dark suit. Staff may be wearing face masks and I can wear one if I need to.
Where can I get help and information inside the NPG?
I can get help from NPG staff or security staff.
NPG and security staff can be found:
- At the entry to the NPG
- At the information desk
- Walking around the gallery spaces
NPG staff are happy to answer questions about exhibitions, activities or where to find things.
The Information Desk is a good place for me to start at the NPG. It is in the Gordon Darling Hall, which is the big, main space just inside the building.
At the Information Desk I can get a map of the building. I can also buy tickets to paid exhibitions.
Sometimes I may need to wait in line. If I buy a ticket online I will not need to wait in the queue.
The NPG and Security staff have radios to ask for help if I need it.
Finding my way in the NPG
All the art and places I can go into at the NPG are on the ground floor.
When I first go inside the NPG, the area to my left is a locker area. This is where I can store any food and drink or large items like my bag or umbrella. This is so they don’t accidentally damage the art.
Near this area I can find an accessible bathroom, toilets and a parents’ room.
The main hall is called the Gordon Darling Hall. This is where I will find the Information Desk.
The hall has high ceilings and big windows letting in lots of natural sunlight.
The Gordon Darling Hall can be noisy/echoing and bright. I can bring my sunglasses if I need them to manage the brightness. There are comfy couches that I can sit on.
Through the big windows I can see:
- The Western Courtyard
- Reconciliation Place
- Questacon
I can enter the Western Courtyard through a glass sliding door that will open automatically for me. In the Western Courtyard there are tables and benches where I can rest or have something to eat or drink. I can’t leave the NPG from the Western Courtyard.
Near the entry to the Western Courtyard I can find another accessible bathroom and toilets.
I will also see a corridor. The corridor leads to the Terrace Rooms that are sometimes used for NPG activities or hired by other groups.
I will find all the artworks in gallery spaces on either side of the Information Desk. The galleries are numbered 1–9. Sometimes galleries are closed if different portraits are being put up.
This is what the entry to Galleries 1–7 can look like:
This is what the entry to Galleries 8 and 9 can look like:
There is a large corridor connecting the different galleries and the numbers help me find my way.
Rules I follow during my visit
At the NPG I help look after the art and myself by:
- Keeping my distance from the art and not touching
- Eating or drinking only in the café, main hall, or outdoors
- Leaving any items such as food, drink, large bags or umbrellas in the locker area
- Speaking quietly so other visitors can enjoy the art
- Always wearing footwear to protect me from injury
- Supervising any children in my car
- Keeping Covid safe
Inside the gallery spaces
In the gallery spaces I will see portraits. Portraits can be:
- sculptures
- drawings
- paintings
- videos
- photographs
Some portraits are very old and some are modern and new. Some portraits don’t look exactly like the people they are of.
Other areas of the building
Sometimes there are events and activities in different parts of the NPG.
In the Liangis Theatre I might watch a talk or film. This is what the entrance looks like:
Sometimes it is dark in the Theatre. If I need support, NPG staff can help me. I can sit on a bright red seat or stand at the side.
Some events and activities are held in the Terrace Rooms. The inside of these rooms can look different depending on the event or activity. I might see chairs, tables, a screen with a projector, wall decorations or tables with craft materials on them. Sometimes a moveable wall is open, making one large room.
The Education Studio is another space inside the NPG. It is also used for activities. The door is only open during activities. This is what the Education Studio looks like:
Café and shop
I can buy food or drink at the Portrait Café. I can eat there or get takeaway.
There is a menu written on a large board behind the counter and menu cards at the tables.
I can order and pay at the counter or use a QR code from the table I decide to sit at.
Café staff will give me my takeaway food or bring my food to my table.
I can sit inside.
Or I can sit outside on the café balcony. I can find the balcony through glass sliding doors.
From the café I can see:
- grass
- trees
- Reconciliation Place
- the High Court
- Lake Burley Griffin
There is a shop at the NPG called the Curatoreum. I can buy books and gifts made by local artists.
The Curatoreum has some narrow, crowded spaces and it can get busy. If I need any help I can ask the friendly staff at the counter.
Leaving the NPG
I will leave through the main doors or café.
I can go back down to the pick-up, set-down space on King Edward Terrace.
If I parked under the building, I can reach my car by going outside through the front entrance and down the stairs or lift opposite the orange sculpture.
There is no access to the car park from inside the NPG building. I will pay for my parking at the machines at the bottom of the stairs before I get into my car.
If I have a Disability Parking Permit, I will use the ticket I was given at the Information Desk in the Gordon Darling Hall to open the boom gate when I drive out of the car park.
I would like more information
If I need more information I can contact the NPG by calling (02) 6102 7070 or emailing bookings@npg.gov.au
I can ask about activities at the NPG or talk to a staff member about my individual needs.
I can find more information about accessibility at the NPG on the access page.
How can I keep Covid safe at the NPG?
- I should visit when I am healthy and don’t have any COVID symptoms.
- I can wear a mask if I would like to.
- I should keep a safe distance from staff and other visitors.
- I will follow current health advice.
- I wash and sanitise my hands.
I want to give feedback
I can use the following ways to give feedback on my visit.
Phone (02) 6102 7070
Email bookings@npg.gov.au
Text 0434 561 316
