Dame Joan Sutherland

Dame Joan Sutherland OM AC DBE (1926–2010) was one of the world's greatest operatic divas. In 1950, Sutherland left Sydney to study at the Royal College of Music in London, making her debut at Covent Garden two years later in The Magic Flute. Conductor Richard Bonynge became her mentor and later her husband. He encouraged her to abandon the heavier vocal roles and become a coloratura soprano; the transformation was key to her success. Sutherland's 1959 performance in Lucia di Lammermoor at Covent Garden launched an international career that spanned nearly 40 years, during which her distinctive voice and wide repertoire earned her the title 'La Stupenda'. In 1974, Sutherland and Bonynge returned to Australia, and over the next decade they lent their star power to the Australian Opera. Sutherland retired after her last performance at Covent Garden on New Year's Eve 1990 and lived in Switzerland for many years. After her death she was the first Australian to be given a memorial service in Westminster Abbey since Sir Robert Menzies in 1978.

Robert Hannaford, commissioned to paint Sutherland by the Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1977, produced several portraits of the diva. The portrait sittings took place at Potts Point, Sydney, over a two-week period during which Sutherland was performing at the Opera House. Hannaford recalls that during sittings she sang along to tapes provided by Bonynge.

Gift of William Bowmore AO OBE 2003. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
© Robert Hannaford/Copyright Agency, 2024