The National Picture

This exhibition is now closed.

Displayed at the Queen Victoria Art Gallery from 24 November to 13 February 2019.

An exhibition by the National Gallery of Australia. 

The National Picture will shine a light on two enthralling yet under-examined figures in Australian history: colonial artist Benjamin Duterrau and the ‘Conciliator’ George Augustus Robinson. Drawing key loans from national and international collections, including five of the seven known ‘proclamation boards’, The National Picture will examine the work of colonial artists from the declaration of martial law in Van Diemen’s Land in 1828 and the beginnings of George Augustus Robinson’s ill-fated ‘Friendly Mission’ through to Duterrau’s death in 1851.

The exhibition will also include a group of works dating from the 1920s to the present day that reference and respond to the many confronting issues that continue to arise from Tasmania’s complex past.

Curated by Professor Tim Bonyhady, and Dr Greg Lehman, The National Picture embodies the NGA’s ongoing commitment to using its impressive resources to contribute insightfully to Australia’s evolving national narrative.

Image detail: Benjamin Duterrau Mr Robinson’s first interview with Timmy 1840, oil on canvas. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 1979.