The Australian War Memorial received a donation of a portrait, titled Air Vice-Marshal (AVM) Catherine Roberts AO, CSC (2021, oil on linen), by Canberra-based artist Alice Pulvers.
Depicting Roberts at the time of her appointment as Australia’s first space commander from 2021 to 2023, the portrait represents a major milestone for women in the Australian Defence Force and the expansion and evolution of the Royal Australian Air Force in space research.
“The work, one of very few portraits of leading female ADF members in the memorial’s collection post-1945, captures both Roberts’ pioneering career and the quiet strength that defined her leadership,” the Australian War Memorial said.
Pulvers’ art explores the connection between nature and human perception, represented throughout her portfolio and Roberts’ portrait.
Roberts’ career saw her serve as an aerospace engineer for 40 years in the Royal Australian Air Force. Across the multitude of achievements throughout her career, she was awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross in 2004 and appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2022.