Vandalism fears ... Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo. Picture: AP Photo/Joshua Paul Source: AP

Director Angus Trumble said it was a pre-emptive and temporary measure, following a negative reaction to the portrait by some visitors.

National Portrait Gallery director Angus Trumble. Picture: Kym Smith Source: News Limited

“In view of the circumstances ... and my best assessment of the risk of damage to the work of art, it was necessary to remove it from public display”, he said in a statement on Thursday, noting the disapproval of the artist Adam Ferguson.

The moves comes amid a re-evaluation of Australia’s relationship with its northern neighbour

and widespread outrage that the Indonesian President did not grant clemency to Bali Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, who were executed on Wednesday morning.

Mr Ferguson, who is reportedly in Nepal at the moment, said he was perplexed by the decision.

He said he would have thought that allowing people to engage with his work now would be more important given the circumstances.

“I am totally perplexed that a leading Australian artistic institution would take such action,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “Art is about a social and political dialogue.”