The Hon. Chief Justice Susan Kiefel AC (b. 1954) became Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia in 2017 and is the first woman to have held the role. Born in Cairns, Kiefel left school at fifteen and after a stint in secretarial work began studying to complete her secondary education and work towards the Barristers Admission Board course. Passing with honours, she joined the Queensland Bar when she was 21. After a decade building a successful practice, Kiefel completed a Master of Laws at the University of Cambridge. She resumed her practice at the Bar in 1985 and, two years later, became the first woman in Queensland to be appointed Queen’s Counsel. She served as a judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1993; became a Justice of the Federal Court in 1994; and was appointed to the High Court in 2007.
This portrait – a 2018 Archibald Prize finalist – was created for a project marking the centenary of women being allowed to practice law and to stand for parliament in New South Wales. Artist Yvonne East said: 'My hope was to capture the commanding and graceful presence of the Chief Justice (and her love of stylish shoes) … This portrait represents the strength and honour of women in powerful positions, combined with femininity and order.'
Gift of the artist 2019 acknowledging Herbert Smith Freehills for supporting the creation of the portrait
© Yvonne East/Copyright Agency, 2024
Yvonne East (1 portrait)
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves.
Well behaved women seldom make history, as the saying goes, and the National Portrait Gallery, consequently, is full of awesome Australian women who refused to conform to narrow ideas about their place and their worth.
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