Photo – 'Lindy Lee' by Tony Costa.

Who Took Out The Archibald Prize?

The winner of Australia’s most prestigious portrait painting accolade has been announced!

Writer
Sally Tabart
10th of May 2019

Last week we shared with you some of our highlights of finalists for the 2019 Archibald Prize, Australia’s most prestigious portrait painting award. Through The Looking Glass by Tessa MacKay took out the Packing Room Prize for her hyper-realistic portrait of David Wenham sitting at a cafe in Sydney, and this morning the overall winner has been announced!

Congratulations to Sydney-based artist Tony Costa for his portrait of leading contemporary Australian artist and Zen Buddhist, Lindy Lee.

‘I listened to an interview Lindy gave at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and found myself agreeing with many of her ideas. I was attracted to her wisdom, humility, courage, humour and, above all, her deep focus regarding her art practice,’ Tony explained of his portrait choice. He has been a finalist in the Archibald Prize in 2015, 2017 and 2018.

The Archibald judging committee also gave a high commendation to Sydney-based artist Jude Rae for her portrait Sarah Peirse as Miss Docker in Patrick White’s ‘A cheery soul’. Jude was shortlisted for a finalist in 2014 for her first portrait, and was herself the subject of a winning Archibald Prize portrait painted by her father David Rae.

Featuring a wonderfully diverse cast of notable Australians painted in a wide range of styles, the annual prize has this year attracted a record-breaking number of submissions, with 51 finalists selected out of 919 entries. The Archibald Prize winner will receive $100,000 in prize monies

Finalists in the Wynne, Sulman and Archibald Prizes will be exhibited at the Art Gallery of New South Wales between May-September this year. Following this, Archibald Prize finalists will go on a regional tour throughout New South Wales and Victoria until August 2020.

Congratulations finalists across all categories!

The Archibald, Wynne, and Sulman finalists exhibition
May 11th – September 8th 
Art Gallery of New South Wales 
Art Gallery Road
Sydney, New South Wales

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