Entertainment
20 April, 2022
Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize
THE Cairns Art Gallery is thrilled to present a new major exhibition, Archie 100.
A Century of the Archibald Prize, celebrating 100 years of Australia’s oldest and most-loved portrait award and reflecting upon the changing face of our nation.
This landmark exhibition explores the rich history of the Archibald Prize, unearthing fascinating stories behind more than 100 carefully selected artworks.
Arranged thematically, Archie 100 delves into the controversies and the commonplace, the triumphant and the thwarted, and honours the artists who have made the Archibald Prize the most sought-after accolade in Australian art today.
Art Gallery of NSW director Dr Michael Brand said Archie 100 and the Archibald Prize online archive are extraordinary records of our society and culture.
“Since its inception, the Archibald Prize has attracted entries from prominent and emerging artists in Australia and New Zealand and celebrated figures from all walks of life, from famous faces to local heroes,” Brand said.
“Archie 100 is an exploration of key moments in the evolution of the prize, from 1921 to today, and an opportunity to reflect on our shared history and consider how we’ve changed over a century.
“We look forward to sharing this momentous exhibition with the many people who visit the Archibald Prize each year, and we extend our sincere thanks to the many institutions and private lenders who have helped make it possible to stage this exhibition during the Gallery’s 150th year.”
Resulting from many years of research and a national public appeal for help to locate lost portraits, Archie 100 features a selection of works from the Gallery’s collection and works from libraries, galleries and museums across Australia and New Zealand, and private Australian and international collections.
Exhibition curator and curator of Australian and Pacific art at the Art Gallery of NSW Natalie Wilson said Archie 100 includes portraits by a wide range of artists from across Australia and New Zealand and from every decade of the prize.
“Each portrait selected for Archie 100 offers an exciting glimpse into a specific moment in time,” Wilson said.
Together, these works uncover societal changes in engaging ways, enabling people to experience how artistic styles and approaches to portraiture have changed over time.
“Visitors can expect to see and discover stories of renowned portraits of identities from the past century, magnificent portraits of intriguing characters whose names have today been forgotten, and works that have not been seen in public since first being exhibited in the Archibald Prize.”
First awarded in 1921, the Archibald Prize was established following a bequest from former Art Gallery of NSW trustee and founder of The Bulletin magazine, JF Archibald (1856-1919), whose aim was to foster portraiture, support artists and perpetuate the memory of extraordinary Australians.
The open competition, which the trustees of the Gallery judge, has been awarded annually (with two exceptions: 1964 and 1980) to the best portrait, ‘preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in arts, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia’.
The development and tour of this project have been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program.
The Archibald 100 is running at the Cairns Art Gallery until June 12; entry to the exhibition is free, and no bookings are required.
