Local art lovers have cause for excitement, as residents across the New England and North West will have the opportunity to see the 2023 Archibald Prize winning portrait of Montaigne by Julia Gutman in person at the Tamworth Regional Gallery next May.
The exhibition will return to Tamworth for the first time in five years, with the Gallery hosting the Archibald Prize 2023 from May 11 to June 23 2024.
57 finalists were selected out of 949 entries to the Archibald Prize, which is now on exhibit at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney. The Archibald Prize 2023 tour will then travel to six venues in Victoria and regional NSW, including Mornington Peninsula, Bega Valley, Goulburn, Hawkesbury, and Port Macquarie.
Director Art Gallery & Museums Bridget Guthrie said that she was excited to have the renowned exhibition return to Tamworth after five years away.
“The Archibald Prize showcases amazing artistic talent, so it is fabulous that our residents will be able to see the exhibition locally”, she said. “This exhibition is always very popular and can be enjoyed by the whole family, and we expect to see large numbers through the Gallery while it is on show”.
Australia’s foremost portraiture prize, The Archibald Prize was first awarded in 1921 following a bequest from former Art Gallery of NSW trustee and founder of The Bulletin magazine JF Archibald (1856-1919).
The open competition 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’.
All artworks will be included in the touring exhibition, including winner of the Packing Room Prize 2023 Andrea Huelin’s portrait of Cal Wilson, Clown jewels.
