The National Portrait Gallery's founding patron, L.Gordon Darling, has donated a 1990 portrait of Sir Donald Bradman to the gallery to coincide with the centenary of The Don's birth.
The portrait by newspaper cartoonist Bill Leak has been on loan to the gallery since 1999.
Tomorrow, it will be 100 years since Bradman was born in Cootamundra. Mr Darling was only too aware of the anniversary.
''For me, it's the perfect time for my sporting hero to enter our national collection,'' he said.
The portrait is now in storage awaiting the official opening of the new purpose-built gallery in King Edward Terrace, Parkes, on December3.
Gallery director Andrew Sayers said it was ''impossible to imagine an Australian National Portrait Gallery without a portrait of Bradman'', and this one was already well-loved.
''Bill Leak painted the portrait from life in 1990 and included in it a subtle visual allusion to Bradman's elegance and effectiveness with the bat during his playing career,'' Mr Sayers said.
''Leak is one of our best political cartoonists, but in this portrait we see him in serious portrait mode, paying tribute to a towering figure in Australian sporting history.''
It is another generous gesture by Mr Darling, who with wife Marilyn, chairwoman of the portrait gallery, have been the driving forces behind establishing the institution.
The couple had donated large sums of money, which have helped fund commissioned portraits, including one of rock icon Nick Cave.
''When the new building opens in December, it'll really be a 20-year campaign on their behalf to work towards a National Portrait Gallery in Australia, appropriately housed and with a significant collection,'' Mr Sayer said. ''I think they were initially inspired by the national portrait galleries in London and Washington. They're wonderful places for understanding something about those countries and their history and the role of people in creating an identity for the countries. ''I think the Darlings looked at that and thought, 'Well, Australia really should have a National Portrait Gallery', and they started talking about it in the late 1980s and early 1990s and were instrumental in the portrait gallery being established in Old Parliament House. We've grown from there.''