Australia's most famous and most controversial portraiture prize will be exhibited at the Griffith Regional Art Gallery from the 14th of May to the 27th of June.
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The Archibald Prize recognises Australia and New Zealand's 'best portrait of somebody distinguished in art, letters, science or politics' and is run by the Art Gallery of NSW. The portraits are displayed there, before touring the nation.
In addition to the clout awarded by winning what is widely considered the most prestigious portraiture prize in Australia, the winner is awarded $100,000.
Ray Wholohan, the coordinator of the Griffith Regional Art Gallery is excited to be displaying the Archibald Prize.
"Only a select number of galleries get it every year, maybe five or six. Right now it's in Cairns so considering all the galleries across Australia... I've been doing this since 2004 and I've only gotten to install the Archibald Prize twice before."
As part of the installation, the gallery will be running a host of events tying into the prize. These will include a black tie opening, curated tours and a lecture presented by Mr Wholohan himself. The keynote event will be a talk from renowned artist Wendy Sharpe, herself an Archibald winner.
"Wendy Sharpe is one of the crème de la crème of Australian artists, we feel incredibly lucky to have her coming here to speak." Mr Wholohan said regarding her visit.
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It's hoped that the Archibald Prize display might boost Griffith's economy significantly, as tourists from around the region visit to see the famed portraits. Mr Wholohan was coordinating last time the prize was displayed in Griffith, back in 2015. He said he was amazed at how many people came to visit.
"We'd get people coming in from Albury or Wagga to see it, they'd make a day trip out for it. They'd also visit the local restaurants and shops and spend money so it's really good for the businesses around as well."
"Last time we got over 5000 people through the doors, and that's usually about how many we see in a year."
While entrance to see the display will be free, some events will be ticketed. Registration for these events is open on the Griffith Regional Art Gallery website.
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