Shining Bird Member, Rhys Nicholson & More Among Archibald Finalist Portraits

A broad array of musical, comedic and otherwise artistic figures feature in this year's Archibald Prize finalists, including Shining Bird frontman Dane Taylor, comedians Rhys Nicholson and Lawrence Leung and more.

Taylor features in a 27.5 x 22.5cm oil-on-wood piece by artist India Mark titled Day At The Gallery With Dane Taylor, depicting the musician standing aloof, hands in pockets, in front of a large painting at an art gallery, while Nicholson stands as a classy figure in Rhys Smart Mouth by Melissa Ritchie, a 105x80cm oil-on-linen work that sees the colorful comic casually leaning against an oversize matchbox bearing his name and face and using one of its contents as a makeshift cane while three struck matches lie at his feet. Meanwhile, Leung is the central figure of Dean Manning's Maximum Lawrence, a 75.5 x 60.5cm oil-on-wood painting of a loose-tied Lawrence and some of his favourite(?) things, including a Rubik's cube, alien abductions and even a View-Master.

Other figures to get the spotlight from various artists this year include celebrated performer Barry Humphries (Barry, Louise Hearman), Oz fashion doyen Peter Weiss (Peter Weiss AO, Nicholas Harding), mononymous artist Nell (Birth/Death — Portrait Of Nell, Heidi Yardley) and celebrity chef George Calombaris, in Betina Fauvel-Ogden's Packing Room Prize-winning George Calombaris, Masterchef.

See the full group of this year's finalists at the Gallery of NSW's website.