Art of Connection
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For over two decades, we have partnered with the National Portrait Gallery, London and the Art Gallery of New South Wales to support portraiture that reflects identity, culture and change.
Both partnerships are grounded in the belief that artists lead the conversation. “The gallery can only exist because of artists,” says Maud Page, Director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. "Our role is to facilitate what they want to say and make space for those voices."
For Victoria Siddall, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London, that connection often begins with recognition. She describes young visitors entering the Gallery and “seeing faces they recognise on the walls,” inviting aspiration, belonging and curiosity.
Hear directly from gallery directors, Victoria Siddall and Maud Page on the impact of our partnership.
Watch the video
At London's National Portrait Gallery, our partnership supports its work to present a more inclusive view of the people who have shaped the UK. In 2023, we were proud to support the Gallery as a reopening partner.
The partnership includes the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award, which supports contemporary portrait painters from around the world. The 2026 exhibition will be free to visit at the National Portrait Gallery from 25 June to 7 October.
Learn more about the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award
In Australia, our established relationship with the Art Gallery of New South Wales, now approaching 40 years, centres on the Archibald Prize. For more than a century, the Archibald has explored how identity and culture evolve through portraiture and remains one of the country’s most recognised cultural events.
There are no entry criteria: a painter working from their backyard stands alongside an internationally exhibited artist, united by a single commitment to paint someone from life. Since the Gallery's expanded premises opened in 2022, it has welcomed 2.36 million visitors.
Supporting open access exhibitions and engaging new generations keeps portraiture active, visible and relevant.
Our partnerships with the National Portrait Gallery and the Art Gallery of New South Wales reflect a shared conviction: that art belongs to everyone.