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With an inspiring array of talent and achievement, this exhibition celebrates and presents many examples of triumph over adversity. Awesome Achievers showcases selected Australian of the Year recipients from diverse fields of endeavour and has been developed specifically as a National Portrait Gallery (NPG) touring exhibition to regional Australia.

With major portraits drawn from the NPG collection and supplemented with works from private and institutional sources, Awesome Achievers brings to life personal histories of Australians of the Year while also investigating the underlying complex and shifting notions of national identity. Portraits of iconic Australians such as Cathy Freeman, John Farnham, Dawn Fraser and Adam Goodes will be on display amongst 24 other famous Australians.

This exhibition explores the diversity of Australia and the fields of endeavour represented by individuals ranging from performers, sports people, Indigenous leaders, musicians, medical professionals and environmental activists. The exhibition aims to bring to life the underlying complex and shifting notions of national identity that are exemplified or challenged in the portrait of each person.

Join the gallery for a Twilight Tour with Curator Dr Anne Sanders, National Portrait Gallery of Australia, starting at 5.30pm on Thursday 15 June 2017.

This is a free event and all are welcome | Light refreshments will be served | RSVP to the gallery by Tuesday 13 June 2017. 

Exhibition on display 29 April to 25 June 2017. 

A National Portrait Gallery exhibition. This exhibition is supported by the National Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach Program, an Australian Government program aiming to improve access to the national collections for all Australians.

Image: Bill McAULEY / Cathy Freeman 1994 (printed 2010) / type C photograph / Collection: National Portrait Gallery, Canberra / Purchased 2010