Book Description

A tribute to portraiture, as well as the artists and sitters, Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize marks 100 years of Australia's oldest and most-loved annual portraiture award. Curator Natalie Wilson unearths fascinating stories behind more than 100 artworks representing every decade. Arranged thematically, these works reflect not just how artistic styles and approaches to portraiture have changed over time but, importantly, how the Archibald Prize reflects our society. Resulting from many years of research for lost portraits, Archie 100 includes paintings from the Art Gallery of New South Wales' collection as well as works from libraries, galleries and museums across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, and private Australian and international collections. Some have not been exhibited since they first were seen in the Archibald Prize. Archie 100 includes: A fascinating essay by Wilson on her quest to find Archibald portraits from the past 100 years and the difficult task of selecting 100 for the centenary exhibition Illustrations of each portrait and accompanying text A timeline of Archibald Prize landmarks Some fabulous facts and figures An index of artists and sitters