Highlights

• Gina Rinehart demanded the removal of an unflattering portrait at a Canberra gallery, sparking controversy over artistic expression and censorship.
• Rinehart, Australia’s richest woman with a $30.2 billion net worth (USD), wields influence in the media and mining industries, and often faces public scrutiny for her “conditional” philanthropy.
• Artist Vincent Namatjira defended his controversial portrait subjects, while the National Gallery of Australia stood firm in support of his freedom of expression.

Australian mining magnate and billionaire Gina Rinehart has reportedly “demanded” the removal of an “unflattering” portrait on display in Canberra’s National Gallery of Australia.

The kerfuffle over Rinehart’s portrait occurred around the same time a then-newly unveiled portrait of King Charles went viral; the New York Times dubbed Charles’ portrait a “big, red controversy.”

Rinehart has somewhat of a lower public profile than King Charles, so let’s start at the beginning.

Who Is Gina Rinehart?

According to Forbes, Gina Rinehart, 70, currently ranks as both the richest woman in Australia, and the richest person of any gender in the country.

Although she hasn’t yet landed on the list of the richest women in the world right now, Forbes indicates that Gina Rinehart’s net worth stands at a massive $30.2 billion (in American dollars) in 2024.

In February, the outlet published their list of Australia’s richest people, prefaced as follows:

“Surmounting the challenge of a weaker currency, Australia’s 50 richest tycoons are collectively better off from a year ago.

“They added $9 billion or around [four percent] to take their combined wealth to $222 billion.”

After Rinehart, Australia’s second-wealthiest person, Andrew Forrest (“and family”) had a net worth of $21.5 billion.

Both Rinehart and Forrest accumulated their fortunes through “Metals & Mining,” and Forbes explained she “built her wealth on iron ore.”

Per her Forbes profile, Hancock Prospecting was in dire straits when Rinehart inherited it:

“The daughter of iron ore explorer Lang Hancock, Rinehart rebuilt her late father’s financially distressed company, Hancock Prospecting, becoming executive chairwoman in 1992.”

In late 2022, TheRichest.com profiled Rinehart, examining how she became the wealthiest person in Australia — primarily through her company, Hancock Prospecting.

However, like fellow Australian tycoon Rupert Murdoch, Rinehart wielded her influence and wealth in the form of significant investments in media ventures:

“In 1993, just one year after her father passed away, [Gina Rinehart] founded Roy Hill Tenement. Despite owning 76.5 [percent] of Hancock Prospecting, one of the things that Gina Rinehart also did differently was to diversify into other areas not directly related to mining in the 2010s.

“To achieve this, Rinehart started by making large investments in media; [a 10 percent] stake [in] Paramount Australia & New Zealand, a major media company in Australia also known as Ten Network Holdings and [an] 18.67 [percent] stake in Fairfax Media[.]

“She’s also the major shareholder of Fairfax Media. In 2014, Gina Rinehart also diversified into Agriculture by investing in/buying different cattle stations; she first acquired Fossil Down Station for $25 million, and then she acquired a 50 [percent] stake in Liveringa station and Nerrima station all in the same year. ”

Moreover, like other billionaires, Gina’s wealth nearly tripled in the years following the pandemic; Forbes reported that Rinehart’s net worth was $13.1 billion in 2020:

In their coverage of the portrait controversy, the BBC noted that Rinehart is a “controversial” figure in her native Australia:

“Ms[.] Rinehart, 70, is a controversial figure.

“She is known for being one of the biggest private investors in Australian sport and a prolific philanthropist, but also for public legal battles with her family and for her outspoken commentary on everything from climate change to laws protecting Indigenous heritage.”

The Gina Rinehart Painting Controversy

Canberra’s National Gallery Of Australia unveiled an exhibition, Vincent Namatjira: Australia In Colour, scheduled to run from early March through mid-July.

The landing page for the Australia In Colour exhibition – which features 21 portraits in total – included a brief biography of painter Vincent Namatjira.

It stated in part:

“A painter from Indulkana in South Australia, Vincent Namatjira has established himself as a subversive and witty portraitist.

“Since 2013, he has been painting portraits of important figures, both personally familiar and famously political.

“Bold, painterly and conceptually rich, Namatjira’s work has gained significant recognition in Australia and abroad.”

On May 16th, People.com reported that Rinehart had “demanded” the removal of Namatjira’s portrait:

“Gina Rinehart, 70, a mining magnate with an estimated fortune of $22 billion, has called for the removal of her portrait by Aboriginal Australian artist Vincent Namatjira, currently on display as part of an exhibit at the National Gallery of Australia, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Both Rinehart and associates at Hancock Prospecting, her company, have made numerous complaints, per the Financial Review.”

On May 17th, The Guardian carried a statement from Namatjira about the dispute, in which he explained his subjects and his intent in his portraiture work:

“People don’t have to like my paintings, but I hope they take the time to look and think, ‘why has this Aboriginal bloke painted these powerful people? What is he trying to say?’

“I paint people who are wealthy, powerful, or significant – people who have had an influence on this country, and on me personally, whether directly or indirectly, whether for good or for bad.

“Some people might not like it, other people might find it funny, but I hope people look beneath the surface and see the serious side too.”

In the same Guardian piece, the outlet mentioned Rinehart’s prior withdrawal of sponsorship from an indigenous athlete:

“[Gina Rinehart’s] sponsorship is often conditional, however.

“In 2022, Rinehart withdrew a $15m sponsorship of Netball Australia after the Indigenous netballer Donnell Wallam asked for her uniform not to carry the Hancock Prospecting logo.”

Art market and news site ArtNet addressed the controversy on May 17th, explaining that the museum was “standing firm in support of the artist and in defense of its right to display the canvas.”

ArtNet included a statement attributed to the National Gallery Of Australia, in which the museum indeed took a firm stance on the putative removal of Rinehart’s painting:

“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.

“We present works of art to the Australian public to inspire people to explore, experience, and learn about art.”

ArtNet’s coverage continued, euphemistically reporting that Rinehart had funded the museum in the past:

“Rinehart did not immediately respond to a request for comment, emailed to her in care of her company Hancock Prospecting, a mining and agricultural firm.

“The museum’s website shows that she is a friend of the museum and has made a gift between $4,999 and $9,999 ($3,338 to $6,679 in U.S. dollars).”

Other parties in Australia’s art world issued statements as well, and Australian outlet 9News published one attributed to Penelope Benton, executive director of the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA):

While Rinehart has the right to express her opinions about the work, she does not have the authority to pressure the gallery into withdrawing the painting simply because she dislikes it.

NAVA added that the museum has the group’s “unwavering support,” and that Rinehart’s demand “sets a dangerous precedent for censorship and the stifling of creative expression.”

Gina Rinehart has declined comment to myriad outlets covering the controversy, and it appears the portrait will remain on display until the conclusion of Namatjira’s show ends on July 21st.