Australia’s richest woman Gina Rinehart demands National Gallery remove her portrait

Australian mining billionaire Gina Rinehart has reportedly demanded a painting of her which she deems unflatte🍷ring be removed from display at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.

Her portrait appears alongside many others, including Queen Elizabeth II, AFL player Adam Goodes and former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, in a🐓n exhibition by acclaimed Archibald Prize-winning Indigenous artist Vincent Namatjira.

Namatjira’s work is known for his paintings that are caricatures of people in almost cartoonish like💫 forms💛.

One of King Charles, for instance🌱, shows him in the Australian desert in full regalia with seemingly no neck.

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Nine Newsp𓄧apers have reported ꧑that a dozen complaints have come into the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) about the portrait of Australia’s’ richest woman including some from athletes she sponsors through her company Hancock Prospecting.

Reportedly one acc🍎used the NGA ofജ “doing the bidding of the Chinese Communist Party” with the portrait of Rinehart.

On the NGA website, Rine𓆉hart is listed as a “friend” of the gallery as she has donated up to $9,999 ($6,700 USD).

The NGA has refused to move the pain❀ting🐻, which will be on display until July 21.

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It was hung in March as part of the Vincent Namatjira: Australia in colour exhibition which feature🌜s 21 pieces of his work.

“Since 1973, when the National Gallery acquired Jackson Pollack’s Blue Poles, ꦡthere has been a dynamic discussion on the artistic merits of works in the national 🌼collection, and/or on display at the gallery,” the NGA said in a statement.

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

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In 2022, Rinehart’s Hancock Prꦿospecting firm ripped up a $15 millio𒀰n sponsorship deal with Netball Australia.

The furor erupted when Indigenous player Do🃏nnell Wallam was said to be uncomfortable wearing a uniform with the Hancock Prospecting logo.

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This was rep꧃ortedly due to comments made by Rinehart’s father Lang Hancock in the 1980s. He infamously suggested in 1984 Indigenous Australians should be sterilized to “breed themselvesꦗ out” in coming years.

After the unease in the team about Hancock’s involvement became public, the firm scrapped its sponsorship deal saying it did “not want t♔o add to netball’s disunity probl🔯ems”.

Rinehart’s R𓆏oy Hill company will also stop sponsoring Netball WA and team theღ West Coast Fever.