Archibald Prize 2019

TarraWarra Museum of Art is the exclusive Victorian tour venue for the Archibald Prize 2019, Australia’s oldest and most prestigious art award.

Presented by the Art Gallery of New South Wales and ANZ, the annual portrait exhibition provides a snapshot of Australian culture – from musicians and actors to sporting heroes and authors. Since its inception in 1921, the prize has been awarded to some of Australia’s most important artists, often inciting controversy while chronicling the changing face of Australian society and evolving definitions of portraiture.

Amongst the 51 works in this year’s exhibition are paintings which portray significant Australian subjects including renowned actor and producer David Wenham by Tessa MacKay; former ballet dancer and director of Queensland Ballet Li Cunxin by Jun Chen; Anh Do’s portrait of the artist George Gittoes; Vincent Namatjira’s tribute to his friend and fellow artist Tony Albert; and media commentator Annabel Crabb by Jordan Richardson.

Musician Megan Washington is depicted with her child by Loribelle Spirovski; Keith Burt captures author and journalist Benjamin Law; Bidjigal elder and artist Esme Timbery can be seen in a striking portrait by Blak Douglas; and the late Edmund Capon is poignantly portrayed by artist John Beard. Other artists in the Archibald Prize 2019 include former Archibald Prize winners Euan Macleod and Nigel Milsom.