Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize

Overview

To look back at the Archibald Prize's history is to ponder Australia's own past. Since 1921, the acclaimed portrait prize has immortalised the nation's faces on canvas — and what a tale all those works can tell. The list of subjects captured is who's who of the country's best-known names. High-profile sitters only relay part of the Archies' story, though. Among the instantly recognisable folks is a survey of Aussies from all walks of life, of their diverse experiences, of the artists that immortalised so many people through their pieces and of art styles over the years.

Expect to revel in all of the above at Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize, which does exactly what's on the box: celebrates a century of this prestigious Australian art accolade. Displaying at HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast from Saturday, July 15–Monday, October 2, it presents a carefully and lovingly curated selection of portraits that've been entered since the Archibald Prize's inception — and heads to Queensland from the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

More than 6000 previous Archie works were considered — a massive range — with Art Gallery of NSW Curator Natalie Wilson and her AGNSW team also going digging to find lost portraits. Some pieces hail from other galleries, museums and libraries across both Australia and New Zealand. Others come from private collections, including internationally. In fact, a number of the paintings haven't been display in public since they were shown in their initial Archibald Prize year.

If you're keen to head along more than once, HOTA is doing season passes. Fancy a party? It's also hosting an Up Late session. And, guided tours are on offer as well if you're keen on hearing more from art experts.