Sir Warwick Oswald Fairfax (1901-1987), grandson of Sarah and James Fairfax, was the only son of Sir James Fairfax, who had become a partner in the company in the 1880s. Sir Warwick began work with the company in 1923, when he filed reports on conditions in post-war Germany for the Sydney Morning Herald. He became managing director of John Fairfax and Sons in 1930. In 1956 it was listed as a public company, with the Fairfax family retaining nearly half the shares. While the Herald was regarded by the family as the 'crown jewels', at the time it was listed as a public company other publications included the evening Sun, the Sunday Sun-Herald and the Australian Financial Review, and the company also had significant investments in radio and television. This portrait and that of Sir Vincent Fairfax were painted to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Sydney Morning Herald.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of John Fairfax Holdings Ltd 2002
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
© Bryan Westwood/Copyright Agency, 2024
Fairfax Media Limited (13 portraits)
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves.
As Bryan Westwood’s portrait of Brian Dunlop hangs adjacent to Brian Dunlop’s portrait of the philanthropist Dr Joseph Brown AO OBE, we see the artist of one work as the subject of the other.
This article examines the portraits gifted to the National Portrait Gallery by Fairfax Holdings in 2003.
