Documents released under freedom-of-information laws reveal Australia’s richest person appealed directly to the National Gallery’s chair Ryan Stokes.
Billionaire miner Gina Rinehart asked the National Gallery of Australia to “permanently dispose” of two portraits of her by the award-winning Indigenous artist Vincent Namatjira.
Namatjira’s exhibition, which closed in July, also included satirical portraits of Queen Elizabeth, AFL star Adam Goodes and former prime minister Julia Gillard. The Indigenous artist and Archibald Prize winner is known for his rawness and sardonic treatment of subjects.had been open for more than a month when Rinehart contacted Stokes about the portraits after a supporter alerted her to their existence.
The FOI revealed more than 26 emails from Rinehart’s supporters did not sway the gallery into removing the paintings, which said it welcomed public debate and “presented works of art to the Australian public to inspire people to explore, experience and learn about art”., a female entrepreneur and a patron of the arts, raising questions about the intersection of Rinehart’s use of money and power to influence culture and sport. Rinehart has a fortune estimated at $37.
One suggested the “insult” be met with a formal written apology from the NGA expressing regret for the “disrespectful portrayal”. Another described the works as “tawdry commercialism at best, cheap shots, resonating from a platform of ignorance”.
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