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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.

The Gallery’s Acknowledgement of Country, and information on culturally sensitive and restricted content and the use of historic language in the collection can be found here.

Barbara Blackman

2008
Gorgi Dimcevski

oil on canvas (frame: 123.5 cm x 103.1 cm, support: 122.3 cm x 102.0 cm)

Barbara Blackman (1928–2024), writer, artists' model and philanthropist, was only fifteen when the ABC Weekly published one of her poems. She became a member of Brisbane's literary circle, joining the writers' group 'Barjai' which included Judith Wright and Thea Astley. In 1950 she was diagnosed with optic atrophy; she was declared blind by the age of 22. Moving to Sydney to study, she met artist Charles Blackman. After they married in 1952, they moved to Melbourne, where Blackman associated with the avant-garde group centered around the Melbourne Contemporary Art Society, including Arthur Boyd, Fred Williams, Joy Hester, John and Sunday Reed, Clifton Pugh, John Perceval and Leonard French. In the 1960s the Blackmans were part of the Australian push active in London. While muse to her husband, Blackman also worked as a magazine columnist, a radio-producer for Radio for the Print-Handicapped, and an interviewer for the National Library's oral history program. Blackman published her autobiography Glass after Glass in 1997, and Portrait of a Friendship, which drew on her correspondence with Judith Wright, in 2007. In between, she purchased her husband's painting The Family, showing her 'good dear beloved long friend' Judith Wright, for the National Portrait Gallery.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Barbara Blackman 2009
© Gorgi Dimcevski

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

Artist and subject

Gorgi Dimcevski (age 56 in 2008)

Barbara Blackman AO (age 80 in 2008)

Donated by

Barbara Blackman AO (3 portraits)

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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 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