Sir William Dargie CBE (1912–2003) studied at the Melbourne Technical College, and then in the studio of AD Colquhoun from 1931 to 1934. While he painted many landscapes and still-life pictures, he is renowned for his contribution to Australian portraiture and influence on subsequent generations of artists. An official war artist during the Second World War, he contributed more than 600 works to the Australian War Memorial. A professional portraitist for over 65 years, he undertook scores of private and corporate commissions, with subjects including the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and a who's who of leading Australian figures in many diverse fields such as the military, industry, sport, education and science. At the same time, his flair for administration resulted in his appointment as head of the National Gallery School from 1946 to 1953 and member of a variety of significant gallery boards and councils. Dargie won an unparalleled eight Archibald Prizes. The National Portrait Gallery holds 22 portraits by Dargie.
