Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart, with a net worth exceeding $22 billion, is embroiled in controversy over efforts to remove an unflattering portrait of herself from a National Gallery of Australia exhibition.

The disputed artwork by indigenous artist Vincent Namatjira provides a contemporary Aboriginal take on issues of history, power, and leadership.

Rinehart's personal appeal to the gallery director and her company's accusations against the gallery of aligning with the Chinese Communist Party have intensified the debate, highlighting her and her family's contentious history with Indigenous Australians.

The National Association for the Visual Arts has defended the artist's freedom of expression, raising concerns over potential censorship and the impact on artistic liberty.

Despite the contention, the exhibition featuring Namatjira's portrait is set to conclude on July 21 in Canberra, with no public response from Rinehart regarding the painting.