2018 Archibald Prize Finalists Unveiled

Today we unveil this year’s finalists for Australasia’s ultimate portraiture award: the Archibald Prize.

Among portraits of high profile personalities including Dr Susan Carland and David Wenham, are self-portraits by Del Kathryn Barton and Guy Maestri, The Packing Room Prize artwork, and more than 50 other exceptional portraits!

Join us in dreaming of these iconic Australian paintings on our walls…

Written

Elle Murrell

Mirra Whale’s ‘Don’ portrait of Don Harwin, and Peter Berner’s ‘Self Portrait with Hindsight’. Photo – courtesy of Art Gallery NSW. Please note artworks are not pictured to scale.

William MacKinnon’s self-portrait ‘The long apprenticeship’, and Jamie Preisz’s portrait of Jimmy Barnes ‘Jimmy (title fight)’, which is the winner of the 2018 Packing Room Prize. Photo – courtesy of Art Gallery NSW. Artworks not to scale.

Del Kathryn Barton’s ‘Self-portrait with studio wife’, and Sally Ross‘ portrait of Will and Garrett Huxley ‘The Huxleys’. Photo – courtesy of Art Gallery NSW. Please note artworks are not pictured to scale.

Yvette Coppersmith’ ‘Self-portrait, after George Lambert’. Photo – courtesy of Art Gallery NSW.

Amani Haydar’s self-portrait ‘Title Insert Headline Here’. Photo – courtesy of Art Gallery NSW.

Tiger Yaltangki’s ‘Tiger (Self Portrait)’, and Andrew Lloyd Greensmith’s portrait of Dr Susan Carland ‘The Serenity of Susan Carland’. Photo – courtesy of Art Gallery NSW. Please note artworks are not pictured to scale.

Tsering Hannaford’s ‘Self-portrait’. Photo – courtesy of Art Gallery NSW.

Marina Finlay’s portrait of Susan and Pete O’Doherty, ‘Susan, CoCo and Pete O’Doherty’, and Melissa Grisancich’s portrait of Courtney Barnett, ‘Courtney Barnett and her weapon of choice’. Photo – courtesy of Art Gallery NSW. Please note artworks are not pictured to scale.

Stephanie Monteith ‘The Letter (self-portrait)’. Photo – courtesy of Art Gallery NSW. Please note artworks are not pictured to scale.

Joanna Braithwaite’s ‘Hall of Fame – Portrait of Pat Corrigan’. Photo – courtesy of Art Gallery NSW. Please note artworks are not pictured to scale.

Vincent Namatjira’s ‘Studio Self Portrait’. Photo – courtesy of Art Gallery NSW.

Amber Boardman’s ‘Self Care Exhaustion’, and Prudence Flint’s portrait of Saskia Beudel ‘Double’. Photo – courtesy of Art Gallery NSW. Please note artworks are not pictured to scale.

Writer

Elle Murrell

3rd of May 2018

Drum roll… this morning the finalists for Australasia’s iconic portraiture painting award, the 2018 Archibald Prize, were unveiled!

The 58 finalists, a quarter of whom are first-timers, have this year been selected from a staggering 794 entries.

Prize organisers at the Art Gallery of New South Wales highlighted that 21 of this year’s paintings are self-portraits, 14 are depictions of other artists, and five feature actors.

The Archibald Prize was established in 1921 from a bequest made by J.F. Archibald. Today the prestigious accolade is judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW, and comes paired with a $100,000 prize – the winner of which will be revealed next Friday, May 11th.

For all their hard work receiving, unpacking and hanging entries (2,014! across the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes) the Gallery’s staff are honoured with awarding The Packing Room Prize. Head of the packing room Brett Cuthbertson announced a portrait of Jimmy Barnes AO by first-time finalist Jamie Preisz to be the 2018 winner earlier today.

To coincide with their exhibition of 2018 finalists, Art Gallery NSW have organised a series of free public programs, including ‘Art After Hours: The Archibald Prize artists in conversation’, ‘Late Night Laughs’ art critique from top comedians, ‘Vivid Art After Hours’, plus foreign language and access tours (‘Art and dementia’, ‘Auslan tour’, and ‘Audio-description tour’), and lots of great family programs.

‘Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2018’
May 12^th to September 19th
Major Exhibition Gallery, Art Gallery of NSW
Art Gallery Road, Domain, New South Wales.

This exhibition will later tour around the country, visiting Geelong Gallery along with Tamworth, Orange, and Lismore Regional Galleries.