For the first time ever, all 20 of Arthur Boyd’s monumental tapestries are on display in Canberra
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For more than 50 years, Arthur Boyd’s monumental Life of St Francis tapestries have quietly lived within the National Gallery of Australia’s collection.
Now, in a world-first exhibition, all 20 of the extraordinary works are being displayed together for the very first time.
Opening on Saturday 20 June, Arthur Boyd: Tapestries brings together the complete series created by one of Australia’s most celebrated artists in collaboration with Portugal’s renowned Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre. The result is an exhibition that reveals a lesser-known side of Boyd’s artistic practice while showcasing the remarkable craftsmanship required to transform delicate pastel drawings into vast woven masterpieces.
Installation view, Arthur Boyd: Tapestries, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, 2026, Arthur Boyd’s work reproduced with the permission of Bundanon Trust.
Walking into the exhibition space, it’s impossible not to be struck by the sheer scale of the works. Measuring approximately 2.5 by 3.4 metres each, the tapestries tower above visitors, their vivid colours and intricate details appearing as vibrant today as when they were first woven more than half a century ago.
Produced between 1970 and 1974, the series follows Boyd’s interpretation of the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, a figure who fascinated the artist from childhood and remained a recurring influence throughout his career.
“Boyd wasn’t particularly religious, but St Francis was a touchstone throughout his life,” explains Elspeth Pitt, Senior Curator of Australian Art at the National Gallery.
Describing Saint Francis as a pacifist, poet, artist and a kind of proto-environmentalist, Pitt says many of the qualities associated with the saint resonated deeply with Boyd and informed his creative practice.
Installation view, Arthur Boyd: Tapestries, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, 2026, Arthur Boyd’s work reproduced with the permission of Bundanon Trust.
The exhibition traces the journey from Boyd’s original drawings and pastels to the finished tapestries, presenting preparatory works alongside the final textiles. The comparison offers a fascinating glimpse into a process that was far from straightforward.
According to Dr Vera Fino, Director of the Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, the workshop pushed its unique tapestry-making technique to its limits to realise Boyd’s vision.
“At the time of production – and maybe even still today – Arthur Boyd’s tapestries are the most complex the workshop had ever made,” she says.
Installation view, Arthur Boyd: Tapestries, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, 2026, featuring (left to right): Arthur Boyd, Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, Juliana Calha (draughtsman (intermediary)), The gift of a lamb, 1974; Arthur Boyd, Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, Lurdes Branquinho (draughtsman (intermediary)), St Clare showing her shaven head to her family, 1974, purchased 1975, Arthur Boyd’s work reproduced with the permission of Bundanon Trust.
Each tapestry contains between four and 8.5 million stitches and was woven at a scale more than 20 times larger than Boyd’s original source images. The challenge was made even greater by the fact that the weavers were often working from small reference images rather than original artworks, painstakingly matching colours and textures by hand.
For the National Gallery, bringing the complete series together has been something of a passion project.
Director Dr Nick Mitzevich describes the tapestries as one of the collection’s “undiscovered gems” – important works that have rarely received the same public attention as some of the Gallery’s most famous holdings.
Installation view, Arthur Boyd: Tapestries, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, 2026, featuring: Arthur Boyd, Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, St Francis when young turning aside, 1972; St Francis being beaten by his father, 1973; St Francis when young dreaming of a hunchback, 1972, purchased 1975, Arthur Boyd’s work reproduced with the permission of Bundanon Trust.
Acquired in 1975 by the Gallery’s inaugural director James Mollison AO, the series entered the national collection alongside iconic works including Jackson Pollock’s Blue Poles and Sidney Nolan’s Ned Kelly paintings. Yet despite their significance, the tapestries have never before been displayed in their entirety.
“The exhibition Arthur Boyd: Tapestries marks the first public display – more than 50 years after its creation – of the full series of Boyd’s tapestries,” says Mitzevich.
“There are many acclaimed works of art in the national collection that are loved by the public; however, there are still corners of the collection where undiscovered gems lie – and this series is one of those.”
Installation view, Arthur Boyd: Tapestries, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, 2026 featuring: Arthur Boyd, Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, St Francis when young turning aside, 1972, purchased 1975, Arthur Boyd’s work reproduced with the permission of Bundanon Trust.
Alongside the tapestries themselves, visitors can explore lithographs, pastels and drawings that reveal Boyd’s creative process, while a dedicated weavers’ studio developed in partnership with the Australian Tapestry Workshop offers opportunities to engage more deeply with the art of tapestry-making.
Whether you’re a long-time admirer of Arthur Boyd or simply looking for a reason to spend an afternoon at the National Gallery this winter, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience an important chapter of Australian art history at a scale that has to be seen to be believed.
Arthur Boyd: Tapestries is on display at the National Gallery of Australia from 20 June until 18 October 2026. Entry is free.
Feature image: Installation view, Arthur Boyd: Tapestries, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, 2026, featuring: Arthur Boyd, Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, St Francis turning Brother Masseo, 1973; St Francis being beaten by his father, 1973; St Francis blowing Brother Masseo into the air, 1973, purchased 1975, Arthur Boyd’s work reproduced with the permission of Bundanon Trust.
