Karen Quinlan AM, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, has announced the 39 finalists selected for the second edition of the Darling Portrait Prize.
The Darling Portrait Prize is a biennial event honouring the legacy of Mr L Gordon Darling AC CMG (1921-2015), who was instrumental in establishing the National Portrait Gallery of Australia.
The prize aims to highlight and nurture the art of Australian portrait painting and offers a generous $75,000 cash prize for the winner, in addition to Highly Commended and People’s Choice awards.
The 2022 Darling Prize judges – Karen Quinlan together with Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London and Clothilde Bullen, Head of Indigenous Programs at the Art Gallery of Western Australia and Chair of the National Association for the Visual Arts – have selected 39 finalists for the 2022 edition, including:
Avraham Vofsi, Betina Fauvel-Ogden, Caroline Zilinsky, Chonggang, Craig Handley, Cynthia Breusch, Daniel Wein, Darren McDonald, Effie Mandalos, Eleni Nakopoulos, Esther Erlich, Evert Ploeg, Filippa Buttitta, Glenn Morgan, Harley Manifold, Hong Fu, Jane Allan, Jaq Grantford, Jenny Rodgerson, Jiawei Shen, Kathie Mason, Maxim Chikanchi, Melissa Clements, Michael Simms, Miriam Fraser, Narelle Zeller, Nicholas Hopwood, Paul Newton, Phil Went, Qiang Zhang, Rachael Robb, Renata Pari-Lewis, Robert Hannaford, Sean Hutton, Tamas Wells, Tom Hermann, Tony Sowersby, Wendy Sharpe and Yvette Coppersmith.
Karen Quinlan said the judges were impressed by the diversity of approaches, subjects and artistic styles presented from the pool of almost 600 entrants.
“We approach the Darling Prize democratically, with the idea that artists of all career stages, working across genres and artistic styles, are invited to present portraits of any and all Australians,” she said.
“Sitters and artists are not expected to be well-known – what we are looking for are exceptional artistic depictions of our wide and varied community.”
“The inaugural 2020 exhibition offered a broad picture of the faces and characters that make up contemporary Australian life, and we were able to acquire several pieces for the NPG collection, including Anthea da Silva’s winning portrait of dance maven Dr Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, and a portrait of writer Tim Winton by Sally Robinson, amongst others.”
“I am very excited to again take on the rigorous judging process with my esteemed colleagues Nicholas Cullinan and Clothilde Bullen – and to announce the winner on 24 June,” said Quinlan.
The 2022 Darling Portrait Prize exhibition opens 25 June. For more information, visit: www.portrait.gov.au for details.
The National Photographic Portrait Prize:
On show at the same time as the Darling Portrait Prize is the popular annual National Photographic Portrait Prize (NPPP).
Established in 2007 to highlight the strength of photographic portraiture in Australia, this much-anticipated annual event offers substantial cash and equipment prizes for professional, amateur and aspiring Australian photographers.
This year, 50 finalists have been selected from a pool of over 2400 entries. Judges – renowned press photographer Nick Moir together with the National Portrait Gallery’s Director of Collection and Exhibitions, Sandra Bruce and Associate Curator Rebecca Ray, noted an extraordinary range of high-calibre submissions.
Sandra Bruce said the NPPP never fails to deliver a range of emotions. “Australia is a country with myriad faces, and as we continue to live in disruptive times, this year’s National Photographic Portrait Prize offers a sweeping view across the nation’s experience, one that reminds us that our lives continue on regardless of wider circumstances,” said Bruce.
The NPPP winner will be announced on 1 July, and will take home $50,000 in prizes: $30,000 cash from the National Portrait Gallery and $20,000 worth of Canon equipment thanks to Imaging Partner Canon Australia.
The Highly Commended winner will receive an EIZO Colour Edge CG2730 Monitor valued at $3,245 and the People’s Choice winner will receive $5,000 thanks to the David Roche Foundation. The Art Handler’s Award will receive $2,000 thanks to the IAS Fine Art Logistics.
For more information about the 2022 National Photographic Portrait Prize, including finalists, visit: www.portrait.gov.au for details.
Image: Anthea da Silva, Elizabeth, 2019 (detail) © Anthea da Silva – winner of the inaugural Darling Portrait Prize