Born: 1947, Gilbun – Mabel Downs Station, WA
Works: Warmun, WA
The National Portrait Gallery this week launches an online exhibition of Shirley Purdie’s remarkable self-portrait Ngalim-Ngalimbooroo Ngagenybe to coincide with Reconciliation Week.
In Ngalim-Ngalimbooroo Ngagenybe (From my women), Shirley Purdie pays homage to the women in her family, representing herself through collective knowledge, culture and values.
The fourth row of paintings interweave Ngarranggarni, memories, relationships and Country.
The third row of paintings come from Ngarranggarni (Dreaming).
Find out more from each of the artists reinterpreting and reimagining elements of Australian history.
The first row of paintings depict stories relating to kinship, introducing significant women relatives.
The second row of paintings recall stories relating to specific sites, experiences and activities.
Unique in the world, perhaps, is a bronze sculpture that fuses the age-old human portrait bronze tradition, and the later genre of the bronze pug figurine: that’d be William Robinson’s Self-portrait with pug.
This 1910 portrait of Elizabeth Sarah (Lillie) Roberts by Tom Roberts was brought into the Gallery's collection with the assistance of the Acquisition Fund in 2013.
The Circle of Friends Acquisition Fund for 2012 was dedicated to purchasing a portrait of David Malouf by Rick Amor.
Kristin Headlam's portrait of Chris Wallace-Crabbe was acquired with the support of the Circle of Friends in 2014.
From 2015 to 2017 the Acquisition Fund was focussed on Reg Richardson AM by Mitch Cairns, a finalist in the Archibald Prize 2014, and a great example of minimalist portraiture.
Commissioned with funds provided by Tim Fairfax AC 2018
Commissioned with funds provided by Ross Adler AC 2018
The National Portrait Gallery, has welcomed the newest portrait commission of Emeritus Professor Derek Denton AC by Evert Ploeg.