Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes

Overview

While we can always count on this annual crowd magnet to deliver awe-inspiring celebrations of Aussie celebrity, the 2012 Archibald Prize offers especially fascinating portraiture. Although Altiyan Childs’ well-publicised homage failed to make the cut, the world of popular culture has been thoroughly represented through its finalists.

Spanning from a seductive portrayal of songstress Kimbra by Vincent Fantauzzo, the four-time Archibald finalist who picked up past People’s Choice Award for Heath Ledger and Brandon Walters entries, all the way to a moody representation of the Guinness Book Of Record’s most tattooed person, the Prize offers plenty of food for thought.

Music is covered well and truly. A heavenly painting of Missy Higgins, who has been cast amid a sea of swirling, confetti-like splashes of rainbow colour, sits in the mix while rock 'n' rollers Dave Graney and Clare Moore have been painted in a sinister, danger-filled setting. Boy & Bear have also been depicted elsewhere.

Other notable subjects among the 41 finalists include Father Bob, Oscar-winner Emile Sherman, political artist and activist Richard Bell and a remarkably masterfully-painted John Wood by Raelene Sharp. It has been awarded this year’s Packing Room Prize.

In fact, this year’s finalists in all three categories, the Wynne landscape and the Sir John Sulman Prizes also, further the integrity of this beloved Australian painting competition. And that’s just going by website teasers. Prepare to be dazzled all over again when the artworks are hung on March 31.

Image: Kimbra by Vincent Fantauzzo