Doris Zinkeisen
- Artist: Doris Clare Zinkeisen
- Date: 1929
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 42 1/4 in. x 34 1/8 in. (1072 mm x 866 mm)
- Portrays: Doris Clare Zinkeisen
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is Doris Zinkeisen’s self‑portrait, painted in 1929 with oil on canvas. The artist herself sits poised against a white sheet that sweeps back like a curtain from a stage set, echoing her work as a stage‑designer. Her face is lit by heavy make‑up and the vibrant embroidery of a Chinese shawl that drapes off her shoulders, adding drama and glamour. A manicured hand—red nails reflected in its shadow—holds the edge of the shawl’s fringe, while a black curtain behind her adds depth. The painting was finished in her hotel room in Sydney during a world tour and later shown at the Royal Academy under her married name Mrs Grahame Johnstone. It sits now in the National Portrait Gallery.
See it in person
Doris Zinkeisen is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
