Associate Professor Alison Inglis | ‘Portraiture and the Colonial Collection: Searching for Portraits in the National Gallery of Victoria in the Nineteenth Century
‘Additions to the Public Library buildings’, Australasian Sketcher, 18 April 2021 State Library of Victoria)
This paper will investigate the significance of the portrait during the early years of the National Gallery of Victoria by reconstructing this aspect of the collection prior to Federation. To what extent did the Trustees of Victoria’s leading colonial institution (consisting of the Public Library, Museum and National Gallery combined) seek to fulfill the role of a national portrait gallery by adopting such traditions as ‘the hall of fame’? Furthermore, can the contemporary perception of portraiture and its role in the Gallery be ascertained by examining such initiatives as the NGV Travelling Scholarship (which started in 1887)? This paper will seek to provide fresh insights into the contribution of portraiture to the construction of colonial cultural identity by focusing on the NGV in the 19th century.
Venue: Dulcie Hollyock Room, Ground Floor, Baillieu Library (Building 177), University of Melbourne, Parkville (map).
Date: Monday 10 November, 6:30pm.
More information on the Melbourne Portrait Group can be found on their website here: http://melbourneportraitgroup.wordpress.com