100 Years of the Archibald Prize

Overview

In celebration of 100 years of Australia’s oldest and best loved portrait award, the Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, this issue features three unforgettable Archibald Prize-winning portraits from across the decades.

First awarded in 1921, the Archibald Prize was established following a bequest from former Art Gallery trustee and founder of The Bulletin magazine, JF Archibald (1856–1919), whose aim was to foster portraiture, support artists and perpetuate the memory of great Australians. This annual open competition, which is judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery, is awarded to the best portrait, “preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in arts, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia”. Since its inception, the prize has attracted entries from both prominent and emerging artists in Australia and New Zealand, and celebrated figures from all walks of life. This Archibald centenary year also marks the 150th anniversary of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the home of the prize and one of the nation’s major cultural institutions.

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