A general overview of the history and winners of the Prize up to 2008.

1. THE ARCHIBALD PRIZE
REJECTION
SELECTION
REWARD

2. IN THE BEGINNING….
• Jules Francois Archibald
• b. 1865 d.1919
• Founding Editor of
Melbourne’s Bulletin
newspaper
• Left considerable wealth-
£90,000
• This paid for : Archibald
Fountain in Hyde Park,
a journalists benevolent
fund and 10% to annual
portrait prize..initially £400

3. THE RULES
• The subject was to be a man or woman
distinguished in the arts, letters, science or
politics.
• It is a non-acquisitive annual art prize
• Portraits should be as far as practicable
painted from life and may be of any size.
• No direct copies from photographs are be
considered eligible.
• 2003 A size limitation was introduced,
90,000cm2

4. Early Winners
• W.B. McInnes
“Portrait of a lady” 1923
£501
This work was criticised
as her identity was not
revealed.
She is “a nobody” it was
claimed.
McInnes won the prize
FIVE times.

5. William Dargie
• Was digging on war
service trenches in
Tobruk when he was
notified of his win
with this portrait.
• His wife had put the
portrait into the prize
in his absence
signing papers
herself.

6. William Dargie
“Mr Albert Namatjira”
1956
“Albert had the most
wonderful face for a
portrait I’ve ever
seen..he had a
tremendous inner
dignity..like the
tranquillity of antique
statues..”

7. Controversy
William Dobell
“Portrait of Joshua Smith”
1943 £429
First of three wins for Dobell
Smith a fellow artist and
friend of Dobell both were
war camouflage artists.
Public outcry resulted in a
lengthy courtcase
Prize was upheld at cost of
both men’s health &
wellbeing
It changed the way Australia
saw art

8. Portraiture or Caricature?

9. The Postwar Years
William Dobell
“Margaret Olley” 1948
Sydney art scene a tight
group at this time.
Olley, an artist and friend
of Dobells, attended an
exhibition in a bizarre
dress made from an old
parachute and a
wedding dress.
She sat for him after that
wild night out..this was
the result.
It was delivered wet ! £500

10. Politics
Clifton Pugh 1972 “The Hon E.G. Whitlam”
..the then new Prime Minister. ($2500)
“my place in the history of art and yours in the history of politics
are now secure” Gough Whitlam to Pugh.
One of quite a few images of PM over the years

11. More Controversy
• John Bloomfield
• Awarded prize for “Tim
Burstall” 1975 ( then
$3170)
• Admitted he had never met
him.
• Found to have painted
image from Cleo mag.
Image
• Stripped of prize in Feb ‘76
• Gallery paid $500 for it.
• He attempted to sue for

12. Redefining Portraits
Brett Whiteley
‘Life, Art and the
Other Thing” 1975
$3170
This work stretched
understandings of
likeness and
realism,
challenging ideas
on portraiture.

13. Varying Styles
Nigel Thompson
“Chandler Conventry”
1983. $10,000
• A gallery owner
• Super realist style
• Powerful use of
space
• Photographic in
character

14. Keith Looby
“Max Gillies” 1984
TV satirist/ comic
Famous for send ups of
PM Hawke
Political in that Hawke
didn’t like Gillies much
Highly decorative almost
comical style.
Stylised treatment of
figures.

15. Guy Warren
“Flugelman with Wingman”
1985 $10,000
• 1st time winner but
established portraitist
$2,10 and $20 notes.
• Dared by Bert
Flugelman friend and
sculptor to paint each
other for the Prize.
• Against one of his own
paintings as a backdrop
• Wings become Berts
• Portrait and landscape

16. Davida Allen
“Dr John Arthur
McKelvey Shera”
1986 $20,000
Outrageously
unconventional.
Very painterly ,
expressive and bold.

17. Vladas Meskenas ‘Rene Rivkin” 1988
Rivkin promised to buy it but backed out after Capon said Yuk!
Rivkin jailed 03 for insider trading then suicided 05.

18. William Robinson
“Self Portrait with
Stunned Mullet”
1995
Plays on Australian
vernacular.
References 18thC
Hogarth Girl and the
Shrimp
Has element of
humour

19. • Nigel Thompson “Barbara Blackman” 1997
• Blind writer and ex wife of artist Charles Blackman
• Very symbolic, powerful.
• “Blindness is a shortcut to humility, exile and otherness”

20. Lewis Miller
“Allan Mittleman” 1998
Third attempt at Prize
with images of this
man.
Looming presence and
dimensions
Unconventional media
Oil and Charcoal on
canvas

21. Euan Mcleod
Self Portrait
“Head like a hole”
1999
A ‘risky’ choice by
judges
• Unorthodox
representation a
shark threatened
portrait
• Dark, anxious
frightening

22. Adam Cullen
“Portrait of David
Wenham”
2000
$35,000
Spontaneous, lively
Used Dulux house
paint
Hints at a deranged
character played
by Wenham

23. Craig Ruddy
David Gulpilil
2004
• Haunting
powerful
image
• Charcoal on
Wallpaper
sections
• Built up linear
style

24. Del Katherine Barton
“You are what is most
Beautiful about me”
2008
Subject is self and own
children
Very detailed, decorative
style
Paint and pen
Has a textile like quality