National Portrait Gallery pairs John Brack and Noel McKenna in dual exhibition

The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra has opened 'John Brack x Noel McKenna: A face in the mirror', a dual exhibition curated by Isobel Parker Philip that brings together works by two major Australian painters born 36 years apart. The show presents around 90 works from state galleries and private collections across five gallery spaces. It opens with a striking juxtaposition: Brack's 1955 'Two Typists' placed beside McKenna's 1996 'Dr Joseph Brown with Two Typists', the latter depicting the Polish-born collector and gallerist with Brack's painting in the background. Other pairings include Brack's moody 1955 'Self Portrait' alongside McKenna's 2015 'Cat at mirror'. A middle gallery features Brack's large 1987 painting 'The Hands and the Faces' (on loan from the NGV), showing museum postcards arranged like a floral bouquet, alongside McKenna's map works of Australia. The exhibition runs until Sunday 19 July.