The Portrait is the musical story of expatriate Adelaide-born artist Stella Bowen. Best known as an official war artist during World War II, Stella captured the imagination and hearts of Australians by giving us insight into the distant conflict. Her famous painting, Bomber Crew, takes pride of place at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The story of Stella's early life, along with the power and beauty of her paintings, inspired Co-Opera to commission a new work of music theatre by Adelaide composer and writer, Becky Llewellyn.

The Portrait tells the story of Stella in the Bohemian world of Paris and London during the 1920s.