Australia’s richest woman has ordered that a gallery remove a painting of her with a huge double chin.
Gina Rinehart, a mining billionaire, has requested that the National Gallery of Australia remove a picture of her by Vincent Namatjira, an award-winning Aboriginal artist.
The picture, which is part of an exhibition featuring images of Queen Elizabeth II and former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, portrays Ms Rinehart in an unflattering way.
The businesswoman is a “friend” of the gallery, having previously contributed between AUD $4,999 (£2,600) and $9,999. She reportedly approached the gallery’s owner, Nick Mitzevich, and chairman Ryan Stokes, requesting that the painting be removed.
The gallery has dismissed her plea, stating that picture should remain on display to spark public debate.
“Since 1973, when the National Gallery acquired Jackson Pollock’s Blue Poles, there has been a dynamic discussion on the artistic merits of works in the national collection, and/or on display at the gallery,” stated the statement.
“We present works of art to the Australian public to inspire people to explore, experience and learn about art.”
The Canberra gallery has subsequently received over a dozen complaints about the picture from people associated with Hancock Prospecting, Ms Rinehart’s company, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Ms Rinehart is the richest woman in Australia, with an estimated net worth of £19 billion. Her father, Long Hancock, started Hancock Prospecting in the 1930s.
The corporation has been the target of anti-racism efforts since its founder stated in the 1980s that indigenous Australians should be “sterilised.”
Ms Rinehart dropped her AUD £15 million sponsorship of Netball Australia in 2023 after indigenous player Donnell Wallam stated that she would not wear a Hancock Prospecting-branded strip.
In 2020, Namatjira became the first Aboriginal artist to win the renowned Archibald Prize for his image of Adam Goodes, a former Australian rules football player.
According to the National Gallery of Australia, his works are “laden with dry wit” and the artist is “a celebrated portraitist and a satirical chronicler of Australian identity”.
Another of his paintings in the exhibition shows King Charles III in formal attire, standing on the Australian desert.