Archibald Prize facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Archibald Prize |
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Desbrowe Annear by W B McInnes, the first Archibald Prize winner (1921)
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| Location | New South Wales |
| Country | Australia |
| Reward | AU$100,000 |
| First awarded | 1921 (Desbrowe Annear) |
| Currently held by | Julia Gutman for Head in the sky, feet on the ground |
The Archibald Prize is a famous Australian art award. It is given for the best portrait painting. Many people see it as the most important portrait prize in Australia.
The prize started in 1921. It was created thanks to money left by J. F. Archibald. He was the editor of a magazine called The Bulletin. He passed away in 1919.
The Art Gallery of New South Wales manages the prize. It is awarded to the best portrait painted by an artist living in Australia. The portrait should preferably be of someone important. This could be someone famous in art, writing, science, or politics.
The Archibald Prize has been given out every year since 1921. There have only been two times it wasn't awarded. Since July 2015, the winner receives AU$100,000.
Contents
Who Has Won the Archibald Prize?
Many talented artists have won the Archibald Prize.
The prize money has grown a lot over the years. When it first started in 1921, the prize was £400. Today, it is AU$100,000.
Other Awards at the Archibald Prize
Since 1988, two more awards have been added to the Archibald Prize event. These awards celebrate different aspects of the exhibition.
The People's Choice Award
The People's Choice Award lets the public pick their favorite portrait. People who visit the exhibition can vote for the paintings they like best. This award started in 1988. The winner receives AU$3,500.
The first People's Choice Award winner was Fred Cress. His portrait of artist John Beard also won the main Archibald Prize that year. This was a rare "double win." It happened again in 2004. Craig Ruddy won both awards for his portrait of David Gulpilil. You can see his portrait here: David Gulpilil, Two Worlds.
The Packing Room Prize
The Packing Room Prize started in 1992. This award is chosen by the staff who handle the artworks. These are the people who receive the paintings and hang them in the gallery. They vote for their favorite portrait.
The winner of the Packing Room Prize is not always a finalist for the main Archibald Prize. The head packer, Brett Cuthbertson, gets a big say in the vote. Since June 2014, the prize for this award has been AU$1,500.
It's interesting that no one has ever won both the Packing Room Prize and the Archibald Prize. In fact, many Packing Room Prize winners don't even make it to the Archibald finals! Because of this, winning the Packing Room Prize is sometimes called "the kiss of death award."
However, two artists have won both the Packing Room Prize and the People's Choice Award. This happened to Paul Newton in 2001. He painted a portrait of Roy Slaven and HG Nelson. It also happened to Jan Williamson in 2002. She painted singer Jenny Morris. Neither of these artists won the main Archibald Prize.
Danelle Bergstrom has won the Packing Room Prize twice. She won in 1995 for a portrait of singer Jon English. She won again in 2007 for a portrait of actor Jack Thompson. That painting was called Take Two.
In 2020, Meyne Wyatt made history. He became the first Indigenous artist to win the Packing Room Prize.
Other Art Prizes Held with the Archibald
The Archibald Prize exhibition often happens at the same time as other art competitions. These include:
- The Sir John Sulman Prize
- The Wynne Prize
- The Australian Photographic Portrait Prize
- The Young Archie competition (for young artists)
Before 2003, the Dobell Prize was also held at the same time. The Archibald is the second richest portrait prize in Australia. The Doug Moran National Portrait Prize has a larger prize.
In 1978, Brett Whiteley achieved something amazing. He won the Archibald, Wynne, and Sulman Prizes all in the same year! This has never happened again. It was his second time winning the Archibald and the other prizes too.
There is also a funny award called the Bald Archy Prize. It started in 1994 as a joke about the Archibald Prize. A cockatoo is supposedly the judge! It became so popular that it moved to Sydney.
See Also
- Lists of Archibald Prize finalists
- Salon des Refusés (Archibald)
Images for kids
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Lt-General Edmund Francis Herring by Sir William Dargie (1945)
