Simpson and his donkey by Robert Hannaford

Robert Lyall "Alfie" Hannaford , (born 9 November 1944) is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

realist artist notable for his drawings, paintings, portraits and sculptures. He is a great-great-great-grandson of Susannah Hannaford.

Family

Hannaford was born and grew up on his family's farm in the Gilbert Valley near

Riverton, South Australia Riverton is a small town in the Mid North of South Australia, in the Gilbert Valley. It is situated on the Gilbert River, from which the town derives its name. Both the Gilbert Valley and Gilbert River were named after South Australian pioneer ...

, attending Riverton Primary and High Schools. Born to Claude and Vera (née Hoare), he has two elder brothers (

Ian Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...

and Donald) and a younger sister (Kay).John Neylon, "Chronology". pp154-160 in Sally Foster (2016) "Robert Hannaford", Art Gallery of South Australia, In 1960, aged 16, he moved to Adelaide to complete his schooling at

Prince Alfred College , motto_translation = Do Brave Deeds and Endure , established = 1869 , type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding , headmaster = David Roberts , chaplain = Reverend ...

. He met Kate Gilfillan in 1964. In 1967–68 he studied in Ballarat, marrying Kate in 1968. They moved to Melbourne in 1969 living there for four years, where their two children Tom and Georgina were born. They divorced in 1976. He returned to South Australia in 1974 living in Riverton, Adelaide,

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...

, and from 1981–87, West Hindmarsh. In 1984 his daughter Aisha was born and in 1987 his daughter Tsering was born. Hannaford bought a disused farmhouse and outbuildings at Peters Hill near Riverton and commenced converting them into a dwelling and studio, where he now lives with his wife, artis
Alison Mitchell
They wer
married in 2007
and own and operat
Riverton Light Gallery
and have exhibited i
collaborative exhibitions
In 2006 Hannaford was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. On 1 January 2001 Hannaford (of West Hindmarsh) was awarded the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

"For service to the community through art".Centenary Medal
1 January 2001, It's an Honour On 9 June 2014 Hannaford (of Riverton) was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AM) "For significant service to the visual arts as a painter and sculptor".Member of the Order of Australia
9 June 2014, It's an Honour Also in 2014 he received the Premier's Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Ruby Awards. Hannaford's youngest daughter, Tsering, is also a notable South Australian artist. Like her father, she specializes in portraiture, landscapes and still life, and has been a finalist for the Archibald prize. She became a full-time artist in 2013.

Career

Although self-taught, Hannaford has benefited from the mentoring of South Australian artists Hans Heysen and

Ivor Hele Sir Ivor Henry Thomas Hele, CBE (13 June 1912 – 1 December 1993) was an Australian artist noted for portraiture. He was Australia's longest serving war artist and completed more commissioned works than any other in the history of Austr ...

. He worked as political cartoonist for the ''

Adelaide Advertiser Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The demo ...

'' from 1964 to 1967 (between

Pat Oliphant Patrick Bruce "Pat" Oliphant (born 24 July 1935) is an Australian-born American artist whose career spanned more than sixty years. His body of work as a whole focuses mostly on American and global politics, culture, and corruption; he is particu ...

and

Michael Atchison Michael Plant Atchison (4 August 1933 – 16 February 2009) was an Australian cartoonist who worked for the South Australian ''Advertiser'' for over 40 years. He was born in Sandringham, Victoria and moved to South Australia with his family ...

), before becoming a full-time artist in 1970. Primarily known as a portrait artist, depicting the likes of

Dame Joan Sutherland Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s. She possess ...

Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has bee ...

Paul Keating Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is an Australian former politician and unionist who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He previously serv ...

, and

Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and union organiser who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (A ...

, he is also known for his landscapes, still lifes, nudes, and sculptures. He has commented on his portraiture that: "Portraiture is an exploration of character that goes beyond photography. It is an ongoing thing over a long period of time. You get elements of various emotions that can be sensed in the painting." Hannaford first entered the

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...

in 1991 with a portrait of Hugh Stretton. The portrait was shortlisted, and won the 1991/1992 People's Choice Award. To 2018, 26 of his entries have been finalists in 21 of the competitions, and he has been a three-time winner of the People's Choice Award – in 1992,

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

and

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

"Black Chicks Talking" Project

Black Chicks Talking ''Black Chicks Talking'' is an arts project by Australian actress Leah Purcell featuring a 2001 documentary film, a 2002 book, a stage production and an art exhibition. The film is co-directed by Brendan Fletcher (film director), Brendan Fletc ...

" was a project conceived by the actor

Leah Purcell Leah Maree Purcell (born 14 August 1970) is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actress, playwright, film director, and novelist. She made her film debut in 1999, appearing in Paul Fenech's ''Somewhere in the Darkness'', which led to role ...

and her partner Bain Stewart, and developed by their production company Bungabura Productions. At the invitation of Stewart, in the period 1999 to 2002 Hannaford painted 10 portraits of noted Australian indigenous women to support the project which had been presented to Hannaford as an initiative to raise funds for a mentoring scheme for young Indigenous people. In order to keep the portraits together as a group, they were donated to the Tweed River Gallery.Black chicks
www.roberthannaford.com.au The ten subjects of the portraits are:

Commissions

* 1972 - Sir Donald Bradman for the

Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...

* 1977 - Dame Joan Sutherland for the Elizabethan Theatre Trust
Image
* 1977 - Elma Casely for the

University of South Australia The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australi ...

* 1980 - John Jefferson Bray for the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

* 1982 - Brodie Thomas Howard for the

Howard Family The House of Howard is an English noble house founded by John Howard, who was created Duke of Norfolk (third creation) by King Richard III of England in 1483. However, John was also the eldest grandson (although maternal) of the 1st Duke of the ...

fifth generation Kangaroo Island and current winemaker for Dudley Wines * 1997 - Paul Keating for Historic Memorials Committee,

Parliament House, Canberra Parliament House, also referred to as Capital Hill or simply Parliament, is the meeting place of the Parliament of Australia, and the seat of the legislative branch of the Australian Government. Located in Canberra, the Parliament building is ...

* 1998 - Bronze sculpture of

Sir Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has bee ...

located in the Creswell Gardens (adjacent to the eastern entrance to the Adelaide Oval), for Adelaide City Council * 2000 - Bob Hawke for the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Library, University of South Australia * 2001 - The Centenary of Federation 2001 painting, commissioned by the Australian Government * 2010 - Bronze sculpture of

Roy Rene Roy Rene (born Henry van der Sluys, 15 February 189122 November 1954) was an Australian comedian and vaudevillian. As the bawdy character Mo McCackie, Rene was one of the most well-known and successful Australian comedians of the 20th century. ...

, located on

Hindley Street, Adelaide Hindley Street is located in the north-west quarter of the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs between King William Street and West Terrace. The street was named after Charles Hindley, a British parliamentarian and so ...

, commissioned by Adelaide City Council * 2012 - Bronze sculpture of

Simpson and his donkey Simpson most often refers to: * Simpson (name), a British surname *''The Simpsons'', an animated American sitcom **The Simpson family, central characters of the series ''The Simpsons'' Simpson may also refer to: Organizations Schools *Simpso ...

, located in the Angas Gardens (north-east of Creswell Gardens), commissioned by Defence Force Health Services * 2013 - Bronze sculptures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander War Memorial, located adjacent to the

Torrens Parade Ground Torrens Parade Ground, which includes the former Torrens Training Depot and Drill Hall, is a former military facility located in Adelaide, South Australia. Location and description The Parade Ground lies behind Government House, between King Wi ...

Image
* 2015 - Bronze bust of Sir

William Henry Bragg Sir William Henry Bragg (2 July 1862 – 12 March 1942) was an English physicist, chemist, mathematician, and active sportsman who uniquelyThis is still a unique accomplishment, because no other parent-child combination has yet shared a Nobel ...

on North Terrace in front of

Government House, Adelaide Government House, located in Adelaide on the corner of North Terrace and King William Road, is the official residence of the governor of South Australia. History The original "Government Hut" was a thatched hut constructed by the seamen of ...

Other portraits on public display

* 1978 - Sir Thomas Playford, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Adelaide * 1978 - Alexander Maurice Ramsay, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra * 1985 - Gavin Walkley, St Mark's College, North Adelaide * 1987 - Tom (Hannaford), Tweed River Art Gallery
Image
* 2001 - Jack Mundey, Sydney Living Museums
Image
* 2004 - Stephen Codrington, Prince Alfred College, Adelaide * 2006 - Lowitja O'Donoghue, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra
Image
* 2007 - John Bannon, St Mark's College, North Adelaide *Vice-Chancellors of the University of Adelaide, Mitchell Building, Adelaide **

Geoffrey Badger Sir Geoffrey Malcolm Badger AO DSc FAA FRACI FTSE FACE FAIM (10 October 1916, Port Augusta, South Australia – 23 September 2002, Adelaide) was Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Adelaide from 1955 to 1964, and Vice-Chancell ...

(1967–1977) ** Donald Stranks (1977–1986)

Recognition, honours and awards

* 1990 - Winner

Doug Moran Portrait Prize The Doug Moran National Portrait Prize is an annual Australian portrait prize founded by Doug Moran in 1988, the year of Australia's Bicentenary. It is the richest portrait prize in the world with A$150,000 awarded to the winner. The prize is ...

, portrait of Riverton identity Bill (Francis Hogan) with Hannaford's dog Ochre,

Tweed River Art Gallery Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre is a regional art gallery in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia. ''Lonely Planet Australia'' describes it as "an exceptional gallery... home to some of Australia's finest in a variety of med ...

Portraits
www.roberthannaford.com.au * 1992 - People's Choice Award at the

, 1991/92 with a

portrait A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...

of Australian historian and professor

Hugh Stretton Emeritus, Professor emeritus Hugh Stretton (15 July 1924 – 18 July 2015) was an Australian historian who wrote books on politics, urban planning and economics, and a Rhodes Scholar. He was a key figure in the development and implementation of ...

* 1996 - People's Choice Award at the Archibald Prize, 1996 with a

self-portrait A self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century tha ...

* 1998 - People's Choice Award at the Archibald Prize, 1998 with a portrait of academic

Rolf Prince Rudolf George Herman Prince (2 August 1928 – 3 July 2017), commonly known as Rolf Prince, was a noted chemical engineering academic, specializing in distillation and mass transfer. Life Prince was born in Chemnitz, Germany on 2 August 192 ...

* 1998 - Inaugural winner of the

Fleurieu Art Prize The Fleurieu Art Prize is a non-acquisitive award, open to Australian visual artists aged 18 years and older. The ''Prize'' encompasses any two- or three-dimensional artwork submissions that follow an annual thematic concept and includes a monet ...

* 2001 -

* 2014 -

* 2014 - Lifetime Achievement prize at Ruby Awards

Archibald Prize finalist

Hannaford's work has been selected as an

Archibald Prize finalist The page List of Archibald Prize winners provides a summary of Archibald Prize winners. This page provides directions to Lists of finalists of the annual Australian Archibald Prize for portraiture. Lists of finalists *1920s **List of Archibald Pr ...

many times: * 1992 - ''Portrait of

'' (Winner: People's Choice 1991/92) * 1993 - '' Peter van Rood''
Image
* 1993 - '' Max Harris''Archibald Finalists for 1993
Art Gallery of NSW * 1994 - ''Self Portrait'' * 1994 - ''The Lord Mayor''Archibald Finalists for 1994
Art Gallery of NSW * 1995 - ''Jarinyanu David Downs'', National Portrait Gallery, Canberra
Image
* 1995 - ''Self Portrait''Archibald Finalists for 1995
Art Gallery of NSW * 1996 - ''Self Portrait'' (Winner: People's Choice 1996) * 1996 - '' Cheryl Hurst''Archibald Finalists for 1996
Art Gallery of NSW * 1997 - ''

Paul Davies Paul Charles William Davies (born 22 April 1946) is an English physicist, writer and broadcaster, a professor in Arizona State University and Director of BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. He is affiliated with the Institute ...

'' * 1998 - ''

''
Image
* 1998 - ''

'' (Winner: People's Choice 1998)
Image
* 1999 - ''

Robert Dessaix Robert Dessaix (born 17 February 1944) is an Australian novelist, essayist and journalist. Biography Robert Dessaix was born in Sydney and adopted at an early age by Tom and Jean Jones, after which he was known as Robert Jones. Tom Jones, a ...

(in my studio)'', National Portrait Gallery, Canberra
Image
* 2001 - '' Richard Maurovic'' * 2002 - ''Lynda Syddick Napaltjarri''
Image
* 2003 - ''Rabbi Raymond Apple''
Image
* 2004 - ''Self-portrait''
Image
* 2005 - ''

Bob Brown Robert James Brown (born 27 December 1944) is a former Australian politician, medical doctor and environmentalist. He was a senator and the parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens. Brown was elected to the Australian Senate on the Tasman ...

''
Image
* 2006 - ''

Tim Flannery Timothy Fridtjof Flannery (born 28 January 1956) is an Australian mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist, Conservation biology, conservationist, Exploration, explorer, author, Science communication, science communicator, activist and p ...

''
Image
* 2007 - ''Tubes'' (Self-portrait) * 2008 - ''Alison Mitchell'' (portrait of artist's wife)
Image
* 2009 - ''Self-portrait''
Image
* 2010 - ''

Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983, holding office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Fraser was raised on hi ...

''
Image
* 2015 - ''Self-portrait''
Image
* 2017 - ''

Michael Chaney Michael Alfred Chaney (born 15 April 1950) is an Australian businessman and former chancellor of the University of Western Australia. Early life Chaney was born in Perth on 15 April 1950. He was the third-youngest of seven children born to F ...

''
Image
* 2018 - ''Self-portrait''
Image
*2022 – ''Self-portrait''

Archibald Salon des Refusés

The Archibald Salon des Refusés is an exhibition which shows

entries that have been selected to hang in the prize exhibition. *2011 - ''

Trevor Jamieson Trevor Jamieson (born 7 March 1975) is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actor, playwright, dancer, singer and didgeridoo player. Early life Trevor Jamieson was born on 7 March 1975 in Subiaco, Western Australia (WA). He grew up in t ...

'' (People's Choice Award) *2012 - ''Ned Cheedy''
Image
Archibald art runs in the family
6 April 2012, www.adelaidenow.com.au *2014 - ''

Phillip Adams Phillip Adams, Philip Adams, or Phil Adams may refer to: Sports * Phillip Adams (American football) (1988–2021), American football cornerback * Phillip Adams (sport shooter) (born 1945), Australian pistol shooter * Phil Adams (cricketer) (born 1 ...

'' *2016 - ''Self-portrait''

References

External links

Artist's web site

Riverton Light Gallery

* Michael Cathcart,

, 10 April 2001, www.abc.net.au * Mike Sexton,

, 3 January 2008, www.abc.net.au * Petria Ladgrove,

19 May 2011, www.abc.net.au * Chelsea Ashmeade
Robert 'Alfie' Hannaford's 'woman and child' statue unveiled
26 September 2016, Northern Argus {{DEFAULTSORT:Hannaford, Robert 1944 births Living people Australian painters Doug Moran National Portrait Prize winners People from Riverton, South Australia Archibald Prize finalists Archibald Prize People's Choice Award winners Archibald Prize Salon des Refusés Archibald Prize Salon des Refusés People's Choice Award winners People educated at Prince Alfred College 21st-century Australian sculptors