© National Portrait Gallery 2025
King Edward Terrace, Parkes
Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196
Walala Tjapaltjarri
Biography
Walala Tjapaltjarri (c. 1965–1975) and his family shot to fame in 1984 when they left their nomadic desert life and joined family in the community of Kiwirrkura in Western Australia.
1 portrait in the collection
Walala Tjapaltjarri, 2009
Greg Weight
Portrait, inkjet print on cotton rag paper
Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2020. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri AO
Biography
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri AO (c. 1932–2002) was a founding member of the artists cooperative established at Papunya in the early 1970s and one of the most renowned practitioners within the Western Desert art movement.
2 portraits in the collection
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, 2002
Tim Johnson
Portrait, oil and polymer vinyl paint on canvas
Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2002
Clifford Possum Study 1, 2002
Tim Johnson
Portrait, pencil and polymer vinyl paint on canvas
Gift of Morris Low 2011. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Paddy Stewart Tjapaltjarri, 2007
Greg Weight
Portrait, inkjet print on paper
Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2010. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Justin C. Tjungurrayi
Biography
Justin Corby Tjungurrayi (b. 1982) is a Luritja artist who was born in Kintore on the border of the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
1 portrait in the collection
On commission
Magazine article by Andrew Sayers AM, 2002
Former NPG Director Andrew Sayers discusses the art of commissioning portraits.
Justin Tjungurrayi, 2007
Greg Weight
Portrait, inkjet print on cotton rag paper
Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2020. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Tim Johnson
Biography
Tim Johnson, Sydney-based artist, was part of a circle of urban conceptual artists in the 1970s.
4 portraits in the collection
Open Air
Portraits in the Landscape
Previous exhibition, 2008
Open Air is an exhibition of portraits of Australians in environments of particular significance to them.
Making Portraits
Five Years of National Portrait Gallery Commissions
Previous exhibition, 2004
The considered matching of artist to subject has produced an amazing collection of unique and original works in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery
Australian Visit
Previous exhibition, 2006
The exhibition will include works of art from the NPG Canberra's permanent collection with some inward loans and aims to highlight the achievements of notable Australians.
Two painters
Magazine article by Dr Christopher Chapman, 2007
Chris Chapman explains how Matthys Gerber bridges the gap between abstraction and portraiture.