David Paulson: Artist Portraits surveys the artist’s longstanding engagement with portraiture, the human figure and the discipline of life drawing.
Bringing together nine major portraits on canvas alongside a series of smaller works on paper, the exhibition traces Paulson’s enduring fascination with identity, observation and the psychological complexities of representation.
The exhibition features portraits of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists — friends, collaborators and colleagues painted across several decades. Many of the works included were finalists in significant Australian portrait awards including the Archibald Prize, the Brisbane Portrait Prize and The University of Queensland National Self-Portrait Prize, highlighting Paulson’s important contribution to contemporary Australian portraiture.
Through careful observation and expressive painterly techniques, Paulson captures not only physical likeness but also the emotional and intellectual presence of his subjects.
