Australia’s richest woman demands portrait be removed from national gallery
Australia’s richest woman has demanded that a gallery remove a portrait that depicts her with a large double chin.
Gina Rinehart, a mining billionaire, has asked the National Gallery of Australia to remove a painting of her by Vincent Namatjira, an award-winning Aboriginal artist.
The painting, which is part of an exhibition that includes portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and Julia Gillard, the former Australian prime minister, depicts Ms Rinehart in an unflattering light.
The businesswoman is a “friend” of the gallery and has previously donated between AUD $4,999 (£2,600) and $9,999. She reportedly approached Nick Mitzevich, the gallery’s owner, and chairman Ryan Stokes to request that the painting be removed.
The gallery has refused her request, arguing that it should be left on display to stimulate public debate.
“Since 1973, when the National Gallery acquired Jackson Pollock’s Blue Poles, there has been a dynamic discussion on the artistic merits of works in the national collection, and/or on display at the gallery,” it said.
“We present works of art to the Australian public to inspire people to explore, experience and learn about art.”
The gallery in Canberra has since received more than a dozen complaints about the painting from individuals connected to Hancock Prospecting, Ms Rinehart’s company, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Ms Rinehart is worth an estimated £19 billion, and is considered the richest woman in Australia. Hancock Prospecting was founded by her father, Long Hancock, in the 1930s.
The company has been the target of anti-racism campaigns after its founder said in the 1980s that indigenous Australians should be “sterilised”.
In 2023, Ms Rinehart withdrew her AUD £15 million sponsorship of Netball Australia after Donnell Wallam, an indigenous player, said she would not wear a strip with the Hancock Prospecting logo.
Namatjira was the first Aboriginal artist to win the prestigious Archibald Prize with his portrait of Adam Goodes, a former Australian Rules football player, in 2020.
The National Gallery of Australia describes his paintings as “laden with dry wit” and the artist as “a celebrated portraitist and a satirical chronicler of Australian identity”.
Another of his paintings in the exhibition depicts King Charles III in formal dress, standing in the Australian desert.