A New Portrait Gallery for Brisbane
Stockwell is joining with the Brisbane Portrait Prize Board to bring a new gallery to Brisbane’s art scene, supporting portraiture, community engagement and tourism.
The Brisbane Portrait Gallery, a new art space at 51 Fish Lane and new venue for Brisbane, has been created in response to an initiative by the Stockwell Foundation, the philanthropic vehicle of Mark and Tracy Stockwell, to establish a permanent gallery dedicated to portraiture.
Brisbane Portrait Prize Chair, Anna Reynolds, is thrilled this collaboration can offer more opportunity for local artists. This gallery will operate in addition to the successful Brisbane Portrait Prize Finalist Exhibition which will continue unchanged at the State Library, Queensland Gallery.
“This initiative will enliven the local arts scene and grow our creative culture in the lead up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Brisbane audiences love and support all types of arts, so we are so pleased to support this initiative as a place to showcase local talent and be a destination for locals and tourists,” she said.
Stockwell will run the gallery, with the Brisbane Portrait Prize as exhibition and curatorial partner.
Ms Reynolds also confirmed that The Brisbane Portrait Prize ‘Salon des Refuses’ will move to the Brisbane Portrait Gallery in 2026, after being well looked after by the Petrie Terrace Gallery. This will provide a bold but complementary counterpoint to the Brisbane Portrait Prize Finalists Exhibition, which will continue unchanged at the State Library Queensland gallery, creating a seamless cultural circuit for audiences to experience both exhibitions is one outing.
“It will be a great experience for artists and visitors to have the Salon a stone's throw from the Finalists Exhibition. We thank our good friends at RQAS for looking after it so well up to now.”
The gallery’s inaugural exhibition will focus on celebrating the personalities, celebrities and iconic figures who have shaped Brisbane, portraying the diverse faces that capture its essence and collective character is set to open its doors in March 2026.
Brisbane Portrait Gallery Announcement; Anna Reynolds Brisbane Portrait Prize Chair and Mark Stockwell
Mark Stockwell, Stockwell Managing Director, Olympian and Philanthropist, said, “The Brisbane Portrait Gallery is a manifestation of community and that is at the heart of what we do as a business. Stockwell is a part of many great communities, with thousands of people shopping, recreating, working, investing or coming home to Stockwell properties every day.
“In sharing our plans for 51 Fish Lane several years ago with Tim Forrester of Aria - an originator of the wider Fish Lane precinct - he implored me to help drag the arts hub from the existing cultural precinct, up Fish Lane. 51 Fish Lane, the public art we have commissioned and now the Brisbane Portrait Gallery is our response to this. I acknowledge the value in creating a precinct like this and I am grateful to be able to contribute to Brisbane in this way.
Mark explained that his vision for the gallery was borne from being a sitter for artist David Hayes, who was a 2020 Brisbane Portrait Prize finalist with his painting of Mark.
“I entered that whole experience with trepidation, but David quickly sat me down and reminded me that this was not about me, but him. On that advice I surrendered to the journey and was amazed at the work he put into that artwork. His work resonated - he captured me at that time, forever.
“Recognising the immense effort behind every piece and knowing that only one artist receives the Prize, I felt compelled to create a space where all artists could have their work appreciated for a longer time.
“Michelle Farquhar, former Brisbane Portrait Prize Board Member, on sharing my experience with her, encouraged me to do something.
“And now, working alongside Anna Reynold and her Brisbane Portrait Prize Board, I am thrilled about our collaboration. I want the Brisbane Portrait Prize to flourish, and I want the Brisbane Portrait Gallery to be dynamic and reflective of the Brisbane arts scene.”
The Brisbane Portrait Gallery will hold exhibitions, workshops, events and activations year-round, showcasing the depth and diversity of contemporary portraiture in Brisbane and beyond. The Brisbane Portrait Gallery will add to Brisbane’s storied Cultural Precinct broadening the precinct’s appeal to audiences, existing and new.
Mark summed up this initiative reflecting on his time as Olympian and businessman.
“I have travelled the world as an athlete, a businessman and representing Governments, and I am truly proud to return to Brisbane every time. I grew up in this city, and I have contributed to its growth and dynamism through my business endeavours, and now as an Olympic city, for Tracy and me, giving back in this way, through the Brisbane Portrait Gallery, it all fits.”