Richest Woman in Australia Demands National Gallery Remove Her Portrait

Gina Rinehart (right) and a portrait of her by Archibald prize-winning artist Vincent Namatjira. - AAP/Getty Images
Gina Rinehart (right) and a portrait of her by Archibald prize-winning artist Vincent Namatjira. - AAP/Getty Images
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Richest Woman in Australia Demands National Gallery Remove Her Portrait

Gina Rinehart (right) and a portrait of her by Archibald prize-winning artist Vincent Namatjira. - AAP/Getty Images
Gina Rinehart (right) and a portrait of her by Archibald prize-winning artist Vincent Namatjira. - AAP/Getty Images

The mining billionaire Gina Rinehart has demanded the National Gallery of Australia remove her portrait from an exhibition by the award-winning artist Vincent Namatjira.

The image, arguably an unflattering picture of Australia’s richest woman, is one of many portraits unveiled at the Canberra gallery as part of the Archibald prize-winning artist’s first major survey exhibition, The Guardian reported.

The National Gallery has rebuffed efforts to have the picture taken down and said in a statement that it welcomed public dialogue on its collection and displays.

“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,” it said.

Before going on show in Canberra, the painting was on public display in Adelaide for months during the exhibition’s initial run at the Art Gallery of South Australia from October 2023 until January 2024.



Leslie Strengthens into a Hurricane in the Atlantic but Isn’t Threatening Land

An aerial view of flood damage along the Swannanoa River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 4, 2024 in Swannanoa, North Carolina. (Getty Images/AFP)
An aerial view of flood damage along the Swannanoa River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 4, 2024 in Swannanoa, North Carolina. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Leslie Strengthens into a Hurricane in the Atlantic but Isn’t Threatening Land

An aerial view of flood damage along the Swannanoa River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 4, 2024 in Swannanoa, North Carolina. (Getty Images/AFP)
An aerial view of flood damage along the Swannanoa River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 4, 2024 in Swannanoa, North Carolina. (Getty Images/AFP)

Leslie has strengthened into a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean and isn’t threatening land, forecasters said.

The storm was located Saturday about 725 miles (1,170 kilometers) west-southwest of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands and had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph). There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Kirk remained a Category 4 major hurricane, and waves from the system were affecting the Leeward Islands, Bermuda, and the Greater Antilles, forecasters said. The storm's swells were expected to spread to the East Coast of the United States, the Atlantic Coast of Canada and the Bahamas on Saturday night and Sunday.

Forecasters warned the waves could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Kirk was expected to weaken starting Saturday, the center said.

Though there were no coastal warnings or watches in effect for Kirk, the center said those in the Azores, where swells could hit Monday, should monitor the storm's progress.

Kirk was about 975 miles (1,570 kilometers) east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (209 kph).

The storms churned in the Atlantic as rescuers in the US Southeast searched for people unaccounted for after Hurricane Helene struck last week, leaving behind a trail of death and catastrophic damage.