Mining billionaire Gina Rinehart is demanding that the National Gallery of Australia remove her portrait from an exhibition by award-winning artist Vincent Namathjira. She points out that she is depicted in the painting in an unattractive light. This was reported by UNN with reference to The Guardian.
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Billionaire Gina Rinehart, heiress to the Australian mining company Hancock Prospecting and Australia's richest woman, has asked the National Gallery in Canberra to remove her portrait - deeming it too ugly - from an exhibition by artist Vincent Namathjira.
The image, which is not very flattering to Australia's richest woman, is on display as part of the Archibald Prize winner's first major exhibition dedicated to research. It should be noted that humor and satire are the artist's stylistic technique in all his works, art reviewers write.
At the same time, the National Art Gallery rejected attempts to remove the painting and said it welcomed public dialogue about its collection and exhibitions.
Since 1973, when the National Gallery acquired Jackson Pollock's Blue Poles, there has been a dynamic debate about the artistic merits of works in the national collection and/or on display at the gallery
Before Canberra, the painting was exhibited in Adelaide from October 2023 to January 2024 at the Art Gallery of South Australia. The South Australian Art Gallery confirmed that it had not received any requests to remove the painting.
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Reinhart is considered extremely influential in Australia and has repeatedly used her political connections to prevent stricter climate laws. She also attended several events organized by former US President Donald Trump.
She owes her wealth primarily to the iron ore mining licenses she inherited from her father. She used this "war chest" to build her company, Hancock, into one of the largest mining groups in the world.
She has repeatedly caused public scandals, for example, in 2012, when she advised poor people who envy the rich to "drink less, smoke, meet people and work harder" to achieve success themselves.
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