Robert Hannaford Paul Keating

Robert Hannaford was commissioned to paint Paul Keating for Parliament House in Canberra, where the portrait now hangs, ‘probably on the basis of my previous Archibald entries,’ he says. Keating was also the subject of Bryan Westwood’s prize-winning portrait at the 1992 Archibald.

Every year Hannaford accepts a number of portrait commissions as well as painting family members and self-portraits. ‘I’m happy to paint anyone, even if we don’t have a particularly good rapport,’ he says. ‘Even if I don’t enjoy the personality, I still enjoy the painting. However, I liked Paul Keating very much. We had a number of sittings in Canberra and I felt that we established a good rapport.’

An acclaimed portrait artist, Hannaford is also a sculptor and loves painting landscapes and nudes. Born in Adelaide in 1944, he won the People’s Choice award in the 1992 and 1996 Archibald Prizes for a self-portrait and a portrait of Hugh Stretton. He is also represented in the 1998 Archibald by a portrait of Rolf Prince, which again won Hannaford the People’s Choice.

This work is now in the collection of Parliament House, Canberra.