This Friday, 17 July, will see the winner of the 2015 Archibald Prize announced. Possibly the most prestigious prize awarded in the Australian arts, the honour is awarded annually to the artist of the best portrait, preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia’.
First awarded in 1921, the prize is judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW, where the finalists are on show until the winner is announced. This year, the finalists include portraits of Mark Donaldson VC, Cory Bernardi, Daniel Johns, and Michael Caton by Bruno Jean Caswell, which has already been awarded the Packing Room Prize.
If you’re not fortunate enough to be able to make it to the gallery to see the actual portraits, then you can view the finalists at artgallery.nsw.gov.au, along with finalists from previous years.