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Andy Griffiths is a renowned Australian children's author best known for the Treehouse series, created in collaboration with illustrator Terry Denton. The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra features prominent Australians who have shaped the nation's cultural identity.
Andy Griffiths, one of Australia's most-loved children's authors, has been immortalised in a new portrait at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.
The 4-metre-high 3D-printed work by artist Ronnie van Hout, titled Andy Andy, captures how Griffiths' "inner kid" still runs riot while he's trying to be an adult.
"That kid has a lot of time to waste and to wonder and to just enjoy the ride, rather than trying to get to the end," Griffiths said.
The author realised he was never going to write serious literary adult fiction early on.
A portrait with a punk streak
Griffiths and van Hout had never met before, but a shared love of punk music and absurdist humour runs through both their work.
The sculpture leans into that chaos, and the creativity that comes from it.
"It makes you think about what creates you as a person."
Brainstorm shows inputs for absurd output
Alongside Andy Andy is Brainstorm, which gives a peek into what objects, music and books turn the cogs of Griffiths' mind.
He relates deeply to music that matches that "frequency", and hopes kids and adults alike will be inspired to think differently.
"You'll see records on the wall that you never knew existed," Griffiths said.
"You must now pester your parents to get it for you because this is a whole world of alternative thinking and music and art that I'm delighted to share and offer to any children or adults who are open to it.
A bittersweet week
The unveiling lands just days after the death of Terry Denton, Griffiths' illustrator and creative collaborator of nearly 30 years, and the artist behind the Treehouse series.
"We were enablers of each other," Griffiths said.
"I was this young punk rocker with weird stuff that no-one would publish. And he said, 'Well, tell them I'll illustrate anything you do' because he saw in me a chance to explore that chaotic side of himself.
"I don't want to be glib because I miss him a lot.
Andy Andy and Brainstorm are on display at the National Portrait Gallery until mid 2027.
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