List of Past People's Choice Winners

Year	Artist	Title
2009	Fantauzzo, Vincent	Brandon
2008	Fantauzzo, Vincent	Heath
2007	Ploeg, Evert	George Ellis
2006	Jackson, Paul	Garry McDonald "All the world's a stage..."
2005	Harding, Nicholas	Bob's daily swim
2004	Ruddy, Craig	David Gulpilil, two worlds
2003	Zhao, Dalu	'Lao Fei' Stephen Fitzgerald
2002	Williamson, Jan	Jenny Morris - singer/songwriter
2001	Newton, Paul	Roy and HG (John Doyle and Greig Pickhaver)
2000	Erlich, Esther	Never Been Better
1999	Ploeg, Evert	Deborah Mailman
1998	Hannaford, Robert	Rolf Prince
1997	Lynn, Mathew	Jeanne Ryckmans
1996	Hannaford, Robert	Self Portrait
1995	Palaitis, Josonia	Bill Leak
1994	Leak, Bill	Malcolm Turnbull
1993	Little, Jennifer	Victor Sellu
1991/92	Hannaford, Robert	Portrait of Hugh Stretton
1990	Campbell, Reg	Self Portrait
1989	Meskenas, Vladas	Donald Friend 1989
1988	Cress, Fred	John Beard

List of Past Packing Room Prize Winners

Year	Artist	Title
2011	Fantauzzo, Vincent	Matt Moran
2009	Jackson, Paul	Flacco’s chariot
2008	Ball, Martin	Neil Finn
2007	Bergstrom, Danelle	Take two - Jack Thompson
2006	Mucci, Michael	A working class man
2005	Benjamin, Jason	Staring down the past
2004	Ploeg, Evert	Jana Wendt
2003	Williamson, Jan	Rachel Ward
2002	Williamson, Jan	Jenny Morris - singer/songwriter
2001	Newton, Paul	Roy and HG (John Doyle and Greig Pickhaver)
2000	Leak, Bill	'Are you with me' Portrait of Sir Les Patterson
1999	Christian, Deny	Garry McDonald
1998	Lester, Kerrie	Self Portrait as a bridesmaid
1997	Leak, Bill	Tex (Perkins)
1996	Newton, Paul	John Laws
1995	Bergstrom, Danelle	Jon English
1994	Robertson, Peter	Kate Ceberano
1993	Erbsland, Angelika	Colin Hayes OBE and friend
1991/92	Bridges, Greg	Gareth Evans

List of Past Archibald Prize Winners

Year	Artist	Title
2011	Quilty, Ben	Margaret Olley
2010	Leach, Sam	Tim Minchin
2009	Maestri, Guy	Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
2008	Barton, Del Kathryn	You are what is most beautiful about me, a self portrait with Kell and Arella
2007	Beard, John	Janet Laurence
2006	Wills, Marcus	The Paul Juraszek monolith (after Marcus Gheeraerts)
2005	Olsen, John	Self portrait Janus Faced
2004	Ruddy, Craig	David Gulpilil, two worlds
2003	Dyer, Geoffrey	Richard Flanagan
2002	Hood, Cherry	Simon Tedeschi unplugged
2001	Harding, Nicholas	John Bell as King Lear
2000	Cullen, Adam	Portrait of David Wenham
1999	MacLeod, Euan	Self Portrait/head like a hole
1998	Miller, Lewis	Portrait of Allan Mitelman no.3
1997	Thomson, Nigel	Barbara Blackman
1996	Sharpe, Wendy	Self Portrait - as Diana of Erskineville
1995	Robinson, William	Self Portrait With Stunned Mullet
1994	Giacco, Francis	Homage to John Reichard
1993	Shead, Garry	Tom Thompson
1991/92	Westwood, Bryan	The Prime Minister
1990	Proud, Geoffrey	Dorothy Hewett
1989	Westwood, Bryan	Portrait of Elwyn Lynn
1988	Cress, Fred	John Beard
1987	Robinson, William	Equestrian Self Portrait
1986	Allen, Davida	Dr John Arthur McKelvie Shera
1985	Warren, Guy	Flugelman with Wingman
1984	Looby, Keith	Max Gillies
1983	Thomson, Nigel	Chandler Coventry
1982	Smith, Eric	Peter Sculthorpe
1981	Smith, Eric	Rudy Komon
1979	Walters, Wesley	Portrait of Phillip Adams
1978	Whiteley, Brett	Art, Life and the other thing
1977	Connor, Kevin	Robert Klippel
1976	Whiteley, Brett	Self Portrait in the Studio
1975	Connor, Kevin	The Hon Sir Frank Kitto, K.B.E.
1974	Fullbrook, Samuel	Jockey Norman Stephens
1973	Dawson, Janet	Michael Boddy
1972	Pugh, Clifton	The Hon E.G. Whitlam
1971	Pugh, Clifton	Sir John McEwan
1970	Smith, Eric	Gruzman - Architect
1969	Crooke, Ray	George Johnston
1968	Pidgeon, William	Lloyd Rees
1967	Cassab, Judy	Margo Lewers
1966	Molvig, Jon	Charles Blackman
1965	Pugh, Clifton	R. A. Henderson, Esq.
1963	Carington Smith, Jack	Professor James McAuley
1962	Kahan, Louis	Patrick White
1961	Pidgeon, William	Rabbi Dr I. Porush
1960	Cassab, Judy	Stanislaus Rapotec
1959	Dobell, William	Dr Edward MacMahon
1958	Pidgeon, William	Mr Ray Walker
1957	Hele, Ivor	Self Portrait
1956	Dargie, William	Mr. Albert Namatjira
1955	Hele, Ivor	Robert Campbell
1954	Hele, Ivor	Rt. Hon. R. G. Menzies, P.C., C.H., Q.C., M.P.
1953	Hele, Ivor	Sir Henry Simpson Newland, CBE, DSO, MS, FRCS
1952	Dargie, William	Mr Essington Lewis, CH
1951	Hele, Ivor	Laurie Thomas
1950	Dargie, William	Sir Leslie McConnan
1949	Murch, Arthur J	Bonar Dunlop
1948	Dobell, William	Margaret Olley
1947	Dargie, William	Sir Marcus Clarke, Kt., K.B.E. [sic]
1946	Dargie, William	L. C. Robson, M.C., M.A..
1945	Dargie, William	Lt-General The Hon Edmund Herring, KBC, DSO, MC, ED
1944	Smith, Joshua	Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. J. S. Rosevear, M.P.
1943	Dobell, William	Mr. Joshua Smith
1942	Dargie, William	Corporal Jim Gordon, VC
1941	Dargie, William	Sir James Elder, KBE
1940	Meldrum, Max	Dr J. Forbes McKenzie
1939	Meldrum, Max	Hon G. J. Bell, C.M.G., D.S.O., V.D., (Speaker, House of Representatives)
1938	Heysen, Nora	Mme Elink Schuurman
1937	Baker, Normand Henry	Self Portrait
1936	McInnes, William Beckwith	Dr Julian Smith
1935	Longstaff, John	A. B. ('Banjo') Paterson
1934	Hanke, Henry Aloysius	Self Portrait
1933	Wheeler, Charles	Ambrose Pratt
1932	Buckmaster, Ernest	Sir William Irvine
1931	Longstaff, John	Sir John Sulman
1930	McInnes, William Beckwith	Drum-Major Harry McClelland
1929	Longstaff, John	The Hon. W. A. Holman, KC
1928	Longstaff, John	Dr Alexander Leeper
1927	Lambert, George Washington	Mrs Murdoch
1926	McInnes, William Beckwith	Silk and Lace (Miss Esther Paterson)
1925	Longstaff, John	Maurice Moscovitch
1924	McInnes, William Beckwith	Miss Collins
1923	McInnes, William Beckwith	Portrait of a Lady
1922	McInnes, William Beckwith	Professor Harrison Moore
1921	McInnes, William Beckwith	Desbrowe Annear

Controversy, Scandals and Debate

Ever since the Archibald Prize awarded its first prize it has been highly sought by artists, for the money it possessed, the exposure it gave and the chance to have your work exhibited in a major gallery. The first decade the Archibald saw a lot of academic and tonal realism. In response to this artists began to modify their styles to suit that of the Archibald Prize winning trend.
In 1946 for the first time the Trustees insisted on a pre-selection, where more than half the entries were eliminated.
The first sign of disapproval was when William Dargie won his seventh Archibald with Mr Essignton Lewis, CH in 1952. Art students feed up the predictability of his work decided to demonstrate their feelings.
In the first two decades a few people broke away from the crowd of the sitter. an example of this is Henry Hanks Self portrait in which he criticised as not being distinguished as he portrayed himself in representation of an unemployed painter, tattily dressed.
It was William Dobell's winning portrait of Joshia Smith that really rocked the boat, in 1943. This portrait was the one that finally broke the idea established with the Archibald. The reaction to him winning was so extreme that a fellow competitor took legal action against Dobell and the Trustees, with the case that Joshua Smith was 'a distorted and caricatured form' meaning it wasn't a portrait. Though not everyone agreed, Dobell's supporters described that the portrait was a 'work of art and a likeliness or resemblance of the sitter.' Dobell responded to the critics with a statement about how he was trying to create something, instead of copying something.
Along with the case came a lot of press coverage and public comment. In the end the case turned into a lively debate about Modernism. the verdict of Justice Roper upheld Dobell's award stating that 'although characterised by some startling exaggeration and distortion.........nevertheless bore a strong degree of likeness to the subject and undoubtedly was a pictorial representation of him.'
In the 1960's Archibald artists were dealing with the demands of modernism, particularly abstract art. The artists had no concern with naturalism or realism.
 A debate was always brewing with the Archibald Prize. another controversy appeared when Brett Whiteley won with his painting Self portrait in the studio, in 1976. The portrait marked a turning point for the the award. The self portrait part of the painting is just the artists face reflected in a hand mirror, with the blue ocean that is his studio surrounding it.
If a portrait was proven to be drawn from a photograph the portrait is disqualified this happened to John Bloomfield with his portrait Tim Burstall, in 1975, though this wasn't the only time
The Archibald has had its fair share of controversies, scandals and debates, but there are still many more to come. The prize is intertwined with the these problems, its just the way it works.

The Debate

 The Archibald Prize should reward artists who paint in a realist way

Stanislaus Rapotec By Judy Cassab

I don’t think there is a right or a wrong way for the style of the Archibald prize. Isn’t art about expressing yourself? And that can be done in many ways. Yes, the Archibald Prize traditionally was to be painted in a realistic style but that was then, and this is now.  Modern art movements have been created and now realism isn’t the only portraiture style out there. I understand holding on to traditions but those traditions are slipping away. Sometimes you have to let go of the past.  Artists each year have tried to push the judging panel out of their comfort zone, giving them something new and unique and sometimes the judges have fallen for it. I don’t think the Archibald Prize should be limited to just realism. In my eyes all entry styles should be taken and considered with no favouring of any sort.

In the past the audience was strictly formal and so the painting was to be of a formal standard. Nowaday’s people are interested in something different as they have already seen that side of portraiture and are bored with it, though they still don’t want to let it go. The times have changed in the way of art styles and techniques. Now it is common for portraits to be not a realistic picture of the person but more of their personality. There have been a number of scandals with the Archibald Prize. The younger generations see the formal sit down as boring and are holding out for something new and exciting, though the older generations are all for keeping the traditions alive. I think they should just keep peace and allow all styles and let the best painting win.

Self portrait with Kell and Arella By Del Kathryn Barton

The Archibald prize is about showing off Australian artistic talent and some of that talent is intertwined with abstract. Though I don’t think the paintings should be so abstract that you can’t tell the subject's identity. I still think the painting should have a realistic quality, but I don’t think it has to be the classic formal sit down image either.  Judy Cassab’s painting Stanislaus Rapotec (see image in top left corner) shows a nice blend between the two, as does Del Kathryn Barton’s self portrait...(see image to right). The Archibald Prize should be a mixture of realism and abstract. As if you stir together realism and abstract and place it in the oven, what will emerge from that oven will be a beautiful cake. The delicious cake could be the Archibald Prize. That should be the aim, the most amazing cake, and you can’t make a cake with only half the mixture.

Portraiture

H. Desbrowe Annear By W.B. McInnes

Pliny, the Roman writer, said portraiture all started with tracing a human shadow, to keep the features of that person alive. In modern day times portraiture is done for many reasons; tribute, record, remembrance or a token of gratitude. That is not the only thing that has changed about portraiture, portraiture isn't just an outline anymore it now shows everything about a person, internal and external. Over time the outline has been filled in.

Portraiture has changed since the Archibald Prize was a fresh little seedling. Back then portraiture had a whole different definition,  portraiture was realistic and formal. Using the first portrait to win the Archibald Prize (see image to the right) as an example, you can see it is very formal and has a strict realistic approach. Realism is still around though not as formal as it used to be and there are modern movements of art as well. The winner of this years Archibald (see image below) shows the significant difference in styles in the last 90 years. Though the portraiture from this year still looks like the sitter it is still abstract, as the artist has used a range of colours to represent her personality. Abstract has taken away some of realism's glory. The definition of portraiture has changed, but the fully traditional style of portraiture has not yet been be wiped.

Margaret Olley By Ben Quilty

New movements of art have challenged the traditional portraiture style. While a painting so realistic it looks like a photo still amazes people, it isn't the only thing that does. People have warmed to abstract as it is something different and exciting and next to it Realism looks old. But they still want to keep realism in their grip. With these modern movements artists have enlarged the interpretation of portraiture. They have done this through many things such as distorting the face, exaggerating the features, enhancing the colours or emphasising the character or temper of the sitter.
In painting a portrait the artist must create a likeness of the sitter as well as making the painting well composed or formal. A portrait can capture two things the essence of the person or a realistic image of them, these two ideas show the difference in the last century. The character of the person can be captured by line, colour, tone or fragmented forms. This day and age we are less sympathetic to the traditional aims of portraiture, which makes it astonishing that it has survived these times as well as it has.

(The Archibald Prize is) of the people, by the people, for the people.
Edmund Capon, Director AGNSW, 2004

PRIZES

The Archibald Prize: In memory of Jules F. Archibald. Each year Australian artists are invited to place paintings in the running for the annual Archibald prize. The Trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW judge and award the prize to the best portrait of a man or woman known in the fields of Art, letters, science or politics. At this present moment the winner receives a prize of $50 000, sponsored by Myer.

The People’s Choice: Since 1988, The People’s Choice award has given the public a chance to vote for their favourite portrait in the Archibald exhibition. The prize of $2500 and a $1000 Myer gift card is awarded to the painting voted most popular by visitors. The selected visitor also receives the same prize.

The Packing Room Prize: The Packing Room prize, is awarded by the people that nobody sees. The people that put all the artwork in the exhibition on the wall get to choose their favourite.  The prize was first awarded by Steve Peters, the gallery storeman, back in 1991. The winner receives a prize of $500, as well as $500 gift card for Myer.

Portraits submitted must be painted from life, meaning that the artist knows the subject, the subject knows of the artist’s intention and the subject has sat for the artist. A statement of the sitting, signed by the subjects must be provided along with the painting. A $30 handling fee must be submitted with the art. The painting cannot exceed 90 000cm² (e.g. 3m x 3m, 1.5m x 6m etc.). Multiple panelled pieces are allowed but must come with a photo and clear instructions on how to assemble and still can’t exceed the 90 000cm². To enter the artist must be a resident in Australia for at least 12 months.

Important Past Winners

 WB McInnes- first winner
  1921 Desbrowe Annear
  1922 Professor Harrison Moore
  1923 Portrait of a Lady
  1924 Portrait of Miss Collins
  1926 Silk and Lace
  1930 Drum-Major Harry McClelland
  1936 Dr Julian Smith

John Longstaff- Man who was comminsioned by J.F. Archbald to paint Henry Lawson
  1925 Portrait of Maurice Moscovitch
  1928 Portrait of Dr Alexander Leeper
  1929 WA Holman, KC
  1931 Sir John Sulman
  1935 AB ('Banjo') Paterson

Nora Heyson- first female winner
  1938 Mme Elink Schuurman
 
William Dargie- holds record for most Archibald Prize wins 
  1941 Sir James Elder, KBE
  1942 Corporal Jim Gordon, VC
  1945 Lt-General The Hon Edmund Herring, KBC, DSO, MC, ED
  1946 LC Robson, MC, MA
  1947 Sir Marcus Clarke, KBE
  1950 Sir Leslie McConnan
  1952 Mr Essington Lewis, CH
  1956 Mr Albert Namatjira

William Dobell- his work caused a lot of debate
  1943 Joshua Smith
  1948 Margaret Olley
  1959 Dr Edward MacMahon

Brett Whiteley- first person to win the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes in a year
  1976 Self portrait in the studio
  1978 Art, life and the other thing

History of The Archilbald Prize

The Archibald Prize was first awarded in 1921. The prize all started with J.F. Archibald. In 1900 J.F. Archibald commissioned an artist, John Longstaff, to paint him a portrait for fifty guineas. The portrait was to be of Henry Lawson. So impressed with the outcome Archibald left money in his will for there to be an annual portraiture award. The Archibald prize is now celebrating its 90th year.

What is The Archibald Prize?????

The Archibald Prize is one of the oldest and most prestigious portraiture awards in Australia. The prize is awarded to the best representation of someone preferably in the field of Art, Letters, Science or Politics. The prize is to be awarded by the trustees of The National Art Gallery of New South Wales, now called The Art Gallery of New South Wales. The Archibald Prize is an annual event, in which three awards are now given; The Archibald Prize, The Packing Room Prize and The People's Choice Prize.