Paul Newton Portrait of Donald McDonald AC

Paul Newton was commissioned by the ABC to paint this portrait in late 2006, just before Donald McDonald left his position as chair of the national broadcaster, where this painting is now held. McDonald then became chief censor at the Office of Film and Literature Classification. Prior to joining the ABC he had management positions at Opera Australia, Musica Viva and Sydney Theatre Company.

Newton and McDonald met at the ABC’s Sydney headquarters in Ultimo where Newton looked at a range of different compositions that would depict McDonald in his capacity as chairman but also capture him authentically as a person.

'It seemed natural to have him in the boardroom with the ABC tower in the background. Donald is a very urbane, articulate man with a real sense of style that I wanted to capture,’ says Newton. 'So I had him lean against a chair in a relaxed manner.’

The head is the third that Newton painted. After working for over 15 hours straight on the second one, Newton felt he had lost objectivity and wasn’t sure whether he could improve on it or not. So, not wanting to obliterate it, he turned the canvas upside down and set to work on another. In the end, he opted for the third one. 'It was a little looser and freer and seemed to capture him better,’ he says. 'If you look very carefully you can see a hint of the other one beneath the trousers.’

Born in Sydney in 1961, Newton is a well-known portrait artist. After completing a science degree at the University of Sydney, he did a Diploma of Art at the Julian Ashton Art School. This is his eighth time as an Archibald finalist.