Although best known for his landscapes, Ray Crooke AM often painted people indoors against a window giving onto bright light, such as this portrait of The Rt Hon Sir Zelman Cowen (1919–2011). Academic, writer and former Governor-General, Cowen served in the navy in the Second World War and then went to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. From 1951 to 1966 he was dean of the law faculty at the University of Melbourne, and in 1970 he became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Queensland. Seven years later, at the invitation of Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, he succeeded Sir John Kerr as Governor-General; during his five-year term he did much to restore the status of the vice-regal post. Returning to Oxford University in the 1980s, he became Provost of Oriel College and later Pro-Vice Chancellor. He published widely on aspects of law but also attempted to enhance public comprehension of constitutional issues, particularly advocating for Australia to become a republic. Cowen’s autobiography, A Public Life, was published in 2006.
Gift of David Crooke 2011. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
© Ray Crooke/Copyright Agency, 2024
Ray Crooke AM (age 55 in 1977)
Rt Hon Sir Zelman Cowen AK GCMG GCVO QC DCL (age 58 in 1977)
David Crooke (2 portraits)
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves.
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Drawn from the National Portrait Gallery collection, this salon-style hang references the lavish 18th- and 19th-century European salons where paintings were hung floor-to-ceiling.
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