Newsletter for the Rotary Club of Western Endeavour - Issue No.: 1115 Issue Date: 14 Apr, 2024

Our very own member, Marcus Harris, presented to the club about one of his passions, the National Portrait Gallery.

With around 3,500 works consisting of representation of individuals who have influenced or contributed to the shaping of Australia as a nation and a society.

With so many in the collection, Marcus could go back regularly and still not be able to see it all.

Outside the gallery are even more portraits including John Curtin and Ben Chifley, Mal Meninga, Alfred Deakin.

The gallery was initially established in three rooms in the Old Parliament House and managed by the National Library of Australia. The first exhibition About face: aspects of Australia portraiture 1770-1993 was launched in 1994.

In 1997 the gallery became an institution in its own right, with a budget and a brief to develop a collection of portraits reflecting the breadth and complexity of Australian history and society.

In 2008 the new home for the gallery was completed and designed to with the experience of looking at portraits in mind and the gallery averages 4 exhibitions per annum.