Vincent Namatjira’s portrait of Gina Rinehart did not do the subject any favors, and the mining magnate asked the National Gallery of Australia to remove the painting from the exhibition. But Australia’s richest woman is not the first person to carry out her commission by painting a picture of herself.
Here’s a look at seven notable examples.
Malcolm Fraser Written by Brian Westwood
The prime minister’s first official portrait was promptly rejected when it was unveiled in 1983, with Malcolm Fraser reportedly “disgusting it at first sight”.
Two-time Archibald Prize winner Brian Westwood captured the Prime Minister standing with his arms crossed against a dark background.
Mr Westwood’s agent Robin Gibson told the Canberra Times that the late former prime minister considered the painting “too casual and too homely”.
The painting was initially kept in a storage unit at the National Gallery, but was eventually moved to the Old Houses of Parliament.
Winston Churchill Graham Sutherland
Despite being one of the most acclaimed artists of his time, Graham Sutherland created a portrait of Winston Churchill, but it was so hated that it was secretly burned by his wife. .
The painting was commissioned by the Houses of Parliament to commemorate the former prime minister’s 80th birthday in November 1954. Inside, Churchill was seated, wearing a dark suit and displaying his famous bulldog demeanor.
The wartime leader is said to have felt that he was “like a fallen man who had been picked up from the gutter.” The painting was taken to his home in Chartwell, Kent, where it was burned on a bonfire.
Germaine Greer by Jeffrey Smart
Ms. Prim, who sits clutching a handbag that resembles author and feminist Germaine Greer, looks nothing like her and reportedly complained about Jeffrey Smart’s 1984 portrait. .
Although the sitter and the artist were friends, Ms. Greer reportedly refused to pose after seeing the first pencil drawing of her face, and Ms. Smart refused to use Kagemusha. He says he was forced to do so. Greer may have hated the painting, but it sold for $1,227,273 in 2022.
Written by Bernard Breslauer Lucien Freud
Lucian Freud’s portrait of billionaire antiquarian bookseller Bernard Breslauer was destroyed because of his double chin.
Art scholar Katherine Lampert made the discovery in 2008 after visiting Breslauer’s New York apartment. There, she reportedly learned that he was not flattered by Breslauer’s depiction of his baldness and bulging jaw.
Freud was informed of the painting’s fate some 50 years after it was completed, at the age of 85.
If it had survived, the portrait could have fetched seven figures at auction.
Theodore Roosevelt Written by Theobald Chartrand
After the 1902 portrait was unveiled, Theodore Roosevelt felt that the Frenchman had made him look more like a “meowing cat” than the powerful leader he had imagined.
He reportedly hid the painting in a wardrobe before destroying it. A second and more successful official portrait was commissioned, this time by John Singer Sargent.
Written by Lyndon B. Johnson Peter Hurd
The president is said to have called the portrait of himself standing clutching a history book with the Capitol Building at dusk in the background “the ugliest thing ever.” [he] I’ve seen it before.”
Conversely, the artist, Peter Hurd, was unabashed, calling LBJ’s actions “very disrespectful.”
Ronald Reagan Written by Aaron Shikler
The official portraits of Ronald and Nancy Reagan in 1989 were the second attempt after Aaron Shikler’s first version was rejected because it lacked the “sparkle in the eyes” .
Two years later, the official portrait was replaced by a third portrait by Everett Raymond Kinstler.
Other notable differences
Mr Gough Whitlam refused to sit in the Prime Minister’s portrait after his sacking. Instead, a portrait by Archibald Prize winner Clifton Pugh was chosen as his official portrait.
Lucian Freud’s painting of Queen Elizabeth II was both praised and ridiculed when it was unveiled in 2001. Some said the portrait looked more like a corgi than a queen, but the sitter used her wit to tell Freud: I really enjoyed watching you mix the colors. ”
