The 2013 Archibald Prize has been taken out by Del Kathryn Barton with her work hugo, a portrait of internationally esteemed actor Hugo Weaving. This is Barton’s second win, awarded the 2008 prize for her self-portrait with her two children. The artist was chosen from a pool of 868 entries, in the 92nd year of the award. The Wynne and Sulman Prizes received 773 and 626 entries respectively, with Imants Tillers taking out the Wynne Prize for Namatjira, and Victoria Reichelt awarded the Sulman Prize for After (books). Barton receives $75 000 for her Archibald winning work, with the Wynne Prize winner receiving $35 000 and $30 000 for the Sulman Prize. The Watercolour Prize, part of the Wynne Prize, receives $2000, and was this year awarded to Xiuying Chen for Central Railway Station, Sydney.
Known for his stage and screen work, featuring in such films as The Matrix and Lord of the Rings, Hugo Weaving proved a dynamic sitter for Barton. “Hugo Weaving is an Australian cultural treasure, an artist in every sense of the word. For many years I have admired his work both on screen and stage. Initially I had considered a very simple pictorial approach for Hugo, a bearded man in a black suit. But when we sat down to discuss the portrait I was enchanted by the rich content in his stories and felt moved to interpret and assemble a kind of personalised symbology within his portrait. More than anything I hoped to portray a sincere, deep, generous and creative soul,” the artist says.
The Archibald Prize is one of Australia’s most prestigious creative arts awards, awarded to the best portraitist from an annual pool of hundreds of entries.
Art Gallery of New South Wales
To June 2, 2013
Image: Del Kathryn Barton, hugo, watercolour, gouache and acrylic on canvas, 200 x 180 cm
