National Portrait Gallery (Australia)
Encyclopedia
The National Portrait Gallery of Australia
is a collection of portrait
s of prominent Australians that are important in their field of endeavour or whose life sets them apart as an individual of long-term public interest. On 4 December 2008, its permanent home opened on King Edward Terrace, Canberra
beside the High Court of Australia
.
The collection was established in May 1998, and until 2008 was housed in Old Parliament House
and in a nearby gallery on Commonwealth Place
. The Commonwealth Place Gallery focused on contemporary portraits and has a particular emphasis on photography
.
The permanent building for the gallery lies in the Parliamentary Triangle, and is of concrete and timber construction.
as its Patron
. Tim Mathieson is the partner of the Prime Minister of Australia
, Julia Gillard
. The previous patrons were Therese Rein
(wife of former prime minister Kevin Rudd
) and Janette Howard
(wife of former prime minister John Howard
).
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
is a collection of portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
s of prominent Australians that are important in their field of endeavour or whose life sets them apart as an individual of long-term public interest. On 4 December 2008, its permanent home opened on King Edward Terrace, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
beside the High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
.
The collection was established in May 1998, and until 2008 was housed in Old Parliament House
Old Parliament House, Canberra
Old Parliament House, known formerly as the Provisional Parliament House, was the house of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. The building began operation on 9 May 1927 as a temporary base for the Commonwealth Parliament after its relocation from Melbourne to the new capital, Canberra,...
and in a nearby gallery on Commonwealth Place
Commonwealth Place, Canberra
Commonwealth Place is located on the southern shore of Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra. It lies along the ‘water axis’ running along the lake from Black Mountain. Commonwealth Place is the location of the , Reconciliation Place, a restaurant and Speakers Square...
. The Commonwealth Place Gallery focused on contemporary portraits and has a particular emphasis on photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
.
The permanent building for the gallery lies in the Parliamentary Triangle, and is of concrete and timber construction.
Patron
In December 2010, the gallery appointed Tim MathiesonTim Mathieson
Timothy Raymond Mathieson is an Australian real estate agent and partner of Prime Minister Julia Gillard. He entered the public spotlight in 2006 when they became partners. Gillard was Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party at the time....
as its Patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
. Tim Mathieson is the partner of the Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
, Julia Gillard
Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
. The previous patrons were Therese Rein
Thérèse Rein
Thérèse Rein is an Australian entrepreneur and founder of Ingeus, an international employment and business psychology services company. Ingeus operates from more than 150 locations across the UK, Australia, France, Switzerland, Germany, Korea, Sweden, Poland, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and New...
(wife of former prime minister Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
) and Janette Howard
Janette Howard
Janette Howard is the wife of John Howard, who was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia.-Early life:Alison Janette Parker was born in Kingsford, a working-class suburb of Sydney in 1944. Her father was an engineer with the New South Wales railways. The family later moved to Vaucluse...
(wife of former prime minister John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
).