Women take out all the awards in 2016.
First time Archibald Prize finalist Louise Hearman has taken out the top prize with her portrait of infamous Australian entertainer Barry Humphries.
“I’m the happiest girl in the world right now!” Hearman said as she received the call this morning from Art Gallery of New South Wales director Michael Brand.
See all the finalists of the 2016 Archibald Prize here
Herman says she has admired Humphries, famous for his boundary-pushing characters including Dame Edna Everage and Les Patterson, since she was a child. “That genius is now an international superstar. For years I had hoped that one day this frighteningly brilliant individual, who also paints, would see a show of mine when he was in Melbourne and like my work,” explains Hearman. “As it happened we became friends through mutual acquaintances and, much to my delight, Barry agreed to sit for a portrait. I tried many ideas, but as it progressed, the painting itself showed me the way,” Hearman said.
Humphries has been the subject of Archibald Prize portraits numerous times, both as himself and in character. The first time was in 1968. In 2014 two portraits of the entertainer were finalists and one, as Sir Les Patterson by Tim Storrier, won the Packing Room Prize that year.
The artist also recognised the power of the Archibald Prize to capture the public’s fascination. “Winning the Archibald is an extraordinary, extraordinary thing for an artist, but the best thing about the Archibald Prize really, is that it gets all artists in the public eye. Today is the one day each year artists eclipse sportsmen in the news!”
The 2016 winner was selected from 51 finalists and 830 entries by the Art Gallery of New South Wales board of trustees, which includes Gretel Packer and Ben Quilty. The trust’s vice president, Mark Nelson, said it was a very difficult choice this year. “There was much deliberation and many worthwhile Archibald contenders, but Louise Hearman’s portrait took centre-stage in the end. It stood out as a portrait that truly captured the spirit of the sitter – she has caught Barry’s sardonic smile brilliantly,” commented Nelson.
The Archibald Prize is Australia's oldest and most popular art award with a prize value of $100,000. The portrait must be painted in the last 12 months from at least one live sitting with the talent.
Among the 51 finalists for the favoured Archibald Prize are a stunning portrait of Wendy Whiteley by Natasha Bieniek, model Samantha Harris by Zoë Young and the Easton Pearson designers by Monica Rohan.
Five sisters — Tjungkara Ken, Yaritji Young, Freda Brady, Maringka Tunkin and Sandra Ken have won the 2016 Wynne Prize for a collaborative canvas ‘seven sisters’, a work that tells a story of family. The women live in the remote Aboriginal community of Amata in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands. Esther Stewart won the 2016 Sulman Prize for her painting Flatland Dreaming.
Earlier this month, the Packing Room Prize — given to the work most favoured by the team of gallery staff who unpack the entries as they arrive — was awarded to first time entrant Betina Fauvel-Ogden for her portrait of chef, restaurateur and Masterchef judge George Calombaris.
The 2016 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize finalists are on display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from tomorrow 16 July until 9 October 2016. Go to artgallery.nsw.gov.au.
