Daniel JohnsThe Archibald Prize – the portraiture art prize for painting, the most prestigious art prize of its kind in Australia – is back for another year, and 2026 is looking pretty music-heavy.
This week, more than 1,000 portraits were whittled down to 59 finalists. This year’s Archibald Prize will be presented at the Art Gallery of New South Wales next weekend (Saturday, 9 May), with the winner announced the day before.
Each year since 2015, a $100,000 prize has been awarded to an Australian resident who paints the best portrait of a person that’s “distinguished in art, letters, science or politics.” This year, art is in the spotlight.
Highlights include Loribelle Spirovski presenting the tender Fingerpainting of Daniel Johns, presenting the Silverchair frontman and acclaimed solo artist in a new light.
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
Meanwhile, Sindy Sinn, who hails from Sydney’s Inner West, has landed on the shortlist with Keep on stingin’, a portrait of Adam Hyde of Keli Holiday fame. The Beatles legend George Harrison is also celebrated via a lively painting by Thom Roberts.
Actors including Susie Porter and Marta Dusseldorp – who both appear in the final season of Wentworth – are highlighted in new paintings, as is actress, author and disability rights activist Chloé Hayden. Other paintings showcase broadcasters such as Jan Fran, Jessica Rowe and Virginia Trioli captured in unique new lights.
You can check out a gallery of this year’s finalists’ work on The Guardian.
In 2024, a portrait of Missy Higgins painted by her sister Nicola Higgins was submitted for the annual 2024 edition of the Archibald Prize.
For oil painter Nicola Higgins, the decision to use Missy as her muse was a natural one.
“Missy was the obvious choice for the sitter as we are very close. I flew to Melbourne to paint her while she was recording her new album in her home studio,” the Bondi-based artist said in her submission.
“While I gathered some of the many plants in her home and set up, I could hear her singing in the next room. She was writing a new song and working it out at the piano. When she emerged from the studio, I got her to lie down and started sketching. I could tell she was still thinking about the new song. She spotted her ukulele nearby, picked it up and started singing to it. It was perfect!”
In 2023, Julia Gutman won the Prize with a piece titled Head in the sky, feet on the ground depicting singer-songwriter Montaigne.
