4 December 2021 to 16 January 2022
Image: Winner Archibald Prize 2021, Peter Wegner, Portrait of Guy Warren at 100, oil on canvas, 120.5 x 151.5 cm © the artist. Photograph by AGNSW, Jenni Carter.
Held annually at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Archibald Prize is Australia’s oldest and most loved portrait award. This year the Archibald celebrated it’s 100th anniversary.
Prestigious, yet often controversial, the Archibald Prize is awarded annually to the best portrait ‘preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia’. It is a who’s who of Australian culture, from politicians to celebrities and from sporting heroes to artists.
The Archibald was established in 1921 following a bequest from JF Archibald (1856-1919), a former Art Gallery of NSW Trustee and founder of The Bulletin magazine. His aim was to foster portraiture and support artists while perpetuating the memory of significant Australians.
In the centenary year of the Archibald, a portrait by Peter Wegner of 100-year-old artist Guy Warren (himself an Archibald winner in 1985) took out the prize in 2021. Highly commended were awarded to Jude Rae for her self-portrait and to Pat Hoffie for a portrait of her daughter.
Significantly, 2021 marked an important milestone - the first time there was gender parity for artists selected as Archibald finalists, with 26 women and 26 men. Female sitters also outnumbered the men.
Archibald Prize is an open competition judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales with the winning artist receiving $100,000. Entries to the Archibald Prize must be completed in the past year with at least one live sitting with the subject. In 2021 there are 52 finalists selected from 938 entries.
In addition to the main award The Packing Room Prize, which was established in 1992, is judged by the staff who receive the portraits and install them in the gallery. In 2021 the Packing Room Prize was awarded to Kathrin Longhurst for a portrait of Kate Ceberano.
Visitors to the exhibition at Hazelhurst could vote for their favourite work with the winning artist receiving the ANZ People’s Choice Award.
The Archibald was proudly presented by ANZ.
