2011 Dobell Prize

Overview

William Dobell had pretty much a full-on nervous breakdown as a result of a court case challenging the validity of his being awarded the 1943 Archibald Prize on the grounds that his Portrait of an Artist (Joshua Smith) was actually a caricature. He was fairly effectively vindicated during his lifetime by having his prize upheld and going on to receive a bunch of other awards and accolades, including a knighthood and an OBE. But it was those very elements of his style that got him into the whole lawsuit mess, that have set him up as the guy who has his name on Australia's best-known drawing prize.

Established by the Sir William Dobell Foundation in 1993, the Dobell Prize is open to any Australian artist, and by not setting parameters for what it regards as a drawing has proven a valuable investigation of the state and nature of what a drawing is and can be. It's an acquisitive prize, meaning that whoever wins not only gets $25,000 but also has their work added to the Art Gallery of NSW's collection. The Prize is judged by a significant Australian artist, this year Guy Warren, and the winner will be announced on December 2.

Image: Suzanne Archer Derangement (detail) © the artist. Winner of the Dobell Prize for Drawing 2010.