Love Stories, the winter blockbuster that was set to open at the gallery on June 20, was forced to be postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19.

An Australian exclusive from London's National Portrait Gallery, the exhibition was to feature portraits of some of the world's best-known couples from the 16th century through to the present day. Couples featured were expected to include John Lennon and Yoko Ono, David and Victoria Beckham and Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas.

"We postponed indefinitely because there is so much unknown," gallery director Karen Quinlan said.

"I can guarantee that it won't be happening this year but I don't know about next year so we're just waiting to see how things shape up.

"Obviously with borders closed, and it's impossible to tour internationally anyway; it's a worldwide situation."

But hope is not lost. There was a second exhibition due to sit alongside the winter blockbuster, Australian Love Stories, featuring works for the gallery's collection, as well as pieces from other Australian collections.

The institution has said it will host an online interactive version of the exhibition in the coming months.

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"Adjusting ourselves from working in the physical space into that online engagement was a step, in terms of exhibitions," Ms Quinlan said.

"We'd already had a connection through the digital world but this is different and we're still working towards that. We're hoping August will be the time that we will start making that available for the public."

It's what Ms Quinlan has called the gallery's silver lining of COVID-19 and she's eager to continue this same level of online engagement once things return to normal.

"Often as an institution, you're so focused on your exhibitions," she said.

"What's happened is that we've shifted into this other space and we've created some great programs online. I'd like to see a lot of that continue because it's a very effective way of communicating with people, not only across Australia but internationally.

"We've built our database further than we would have if we were just operating as a physical environment."

Programs such as Amazing Face - a 14-day course which saw people take inspiration from works in the gallery's collection to create their own portraits - has proved to be a success, with Ms Quinlan saying it created a conversation with art lovers across the country.

"That's definitely a program we'd like to do again in the future, and it probably would not have happened if we hadn't been pushed into that space," she says.

"The audience that we're attracting is outside of the ACT. I think the locals know that the portrait gallery will reopen and they know that they can come and visit.

"Without the pandemic, without the closure you don't fully appreciate how many people don't have the option of travelling and they want to engage with this type of collection, and Australian identity and this is a way of doing it."

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