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December 2024 Case Study
The National Portrait Gallery is a serene place where you can spend a little quiet time with some of the world’s most famous people.
Despite taking pride of place amongst the high-profile galleries of Canberra’s ‘gallery row’ on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, the Portrait Gallery is a relatively recent addition. Its roots date to the early days of the colony, when portraits were made as an historical record of key figures, but its first independent exhibition 'The possibilities of portraiture' opened in early 1998.
Australian by birth or association
For inclusion in the Portrait Gallery’s collection, a piece must be “a depiction, made from life, of a known or named subject, who is Australian (by birth or association) and who is considered highly significant in his or her field of endeavour.” You’ll find Captain James Cook and Nick Cave, Truganinny and Crown Princess Mary. It’s an extraordinary collation of people of significance to the country, and as such elicits in the viewer a huge breadth of discovery, recollection and inspiration.
Letting the people shine
Exhibitions vary in their demands on lighting. Sometimes the lighting is a core part of the display; other times the lighting needs to be discreet and let the works do the talking.
ERCO track is installed in each room at the Portrait Gallery, giving curators the flexibility to mix and match the lighting according to the size and nature of the works on display. The luminaire collection on site includes ERCO Light Board spotlights. Directing Light Board down or onto walls, and switching lenses from spotlight to wallwash to flood beam, gives straightforward access to a diversity of presentation options.
Wide flood lenses aimed downwards from track provide even and uniform light, a typical White Cube space where the artworks are viewed equally.
Using the same infrastructure. Light Board luminaires with wallwash lenses shed even light on vertical surfaces, providing the optimal opportunity for viewers to enjoy the works both close up and from afar.
With over a decade of experience in the commercial lighting industry, the Integral Lighting team have delivered a wide range of projects across Canberra and beyond.
With Danish roots and a global presence, building services consultancy Steensen Varming were behind the original lighting design of the National Portrait Gallery.
London-based Australian artist Ralph Heimans (b1970) is one of today’s leading portrait artists.
Find out more about products used here:
Channel Partner: Integral Lighting
Lighting Design: Steensen Varming
Artist: Ralph Heimans
Photographer: Jackie Chan