Robert Hannaford

Robert Lyall "Alfie" Hannaford AM is an Australian realist artist notable for his drawings, paintings, portraits and sculptures.

Born to Claude and Vera (née Hoare), he has two elder brothers (Ian, footballer and architect,[2][3][4] and Donald) and a younger sister (Kay).

[5] In 1962, Hannaford enrolled in life drawing and sculpture classes at the South Australian School of Art, but withdrew and became employed by an advertising agency.

During these years he studied art theory and history informally, and also received a number of portrait commissions, while continuing to paint other types of work.

The scholarship paid for travel for study, and he visited Canberra and Sydney to attend exhibitions, and also spent two months of each year in South Australia, focusing on landscape painting.

[citation needed] Although largely self-taught, Hannaford benefited from the mentoring of South Australian artists Hans Heysen and Ivor Hele.

[6][1] Primarily known as a portrait artist, depicting the likes of Dame Joan Sutherland, Donald Bradman, Paul Keating, and Bob Hawke, he is also known for his landscapes, still lifes, nudes, and sculptures.

[22] Hannaford bought a disused farmhouse and outbuildings at Peters Hill, near Riverton, and commenced converting them into a dwelling and studio, where as of 2008[update] he was living with his wife, artist Alison Mitchell.