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Sunday December 08, 2024

Who is Australia's richest woman Gina Rinehart?

Australian billionaire demands removal of her 'unflattering' portrait made by Aboriginal artist Vincent Namatjira

By Web Desk
May 18, 2024
Artist responds after billionaire demands gallery remove unflattering portrait of her: ‘I paint the world as I see it’. — The Mirror/CNN/File
Artist responds after billionaire demands gallery remove unflattering portrait of her: ‘I paint the world as I see it’. — The Mirror/CNN/File

Georgina Hope Rinehart is an Australian billionaire mining magnate and heiress. She is the richest person in the country, with a net worth estimated to be $31 billion, Forbes reported.

She is the 53rd richest person in the world.

Born in 1954, Rinehart is the daughter of iron ore explorer Lang Hancock. She took over her father’s financially distressed company, becoming chairwoman in 1992.Since then, Rinehart has made significant investments in rare earth minerals and the gas sector. She is also the second-largest cattle producer in Australia.

Recently, Rinehart has been making headlines for demanding the removal of a painting of her that she deems unflattering. 

The painting is currently on display at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.

Her portrait is posted alongside Queen Elizabeth II, athlete Adam Goodes, and former prime minister Julia Gillard in an exhibition by acclaimed Archibald Prize-winning Aboriginal artist Vincent Namatjira.

Namatjira is known for painting caricatures of people in cartoonish forms.

Responding to the criticism, Namatrija said: "I paint the world as I see it. People don’t have to like my paintings."

Adding, he said: "I paint people who are wealthy, powerful, or significant—people who have had an influence on this country and on me personally, whether directly or indirectly, whether for good or for bad."