Peter Wegner Portrait of Professor Graeme Clark

Professor Graeme Clark AO, Laureate Professor of Otolaryngology at the University of Melbourne, is the inventor of the bionic ear. He discovered how to insert an electrode into the inner ear by examining shells on the beach.

Peter Wegner first saw a photograph of Clark in a feature on the Bionic Ear. ‘It was a great photo with that warm and welcoming smile,’ says Wegner. ‘It was both the content and the photo that initiated my first contact. I did not realise at the time, but he lived only ten minutes away from me.’

The portrait – which is now in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra – was painted over several months but the pose developed quickly. ‘While we were talking Graeme opened out his hands as if to greet you and talk to you,’ says Wegner. ‘I was worried that this pose would be difficult to hold but Graeme remarked that it reflected his years as a surgeon and was a position he was comfortable with because he has to hold his arms out while operating, sometimes for several hours. And here lay the duality of the pose: the father of the Bionic Ear with hands outstretched about to speak, while holding the prototype of the Bionic Ear – a vehicle for people to hear. I hope also that this portrait reflects the warmth and sincerity of the sitter,’ says Wegner.

Born in Hamilton, New Zealand in 1953, Wegner studied under William Dargie as part of an AME Residential Scholarship then did a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Phillip Institute of Technology in Melbourne. He also has a painting included in this year’s Archibald Sporting Portrait Prize.