{"id":657140,"date":"2026-05-08T06:26:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T06:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/657140\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T06:26:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T06:26:17","slug":"richard-lewer-wins-archibald-prize-2026-for-portrait-of-pitjantjatjara-elder-iluwanti-ken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/657140\/","title":{"rendered":"Richard Lewer wins Archibald Prize 2026 for portrait of Pitjantjatjara elder Iluwanti Ken"},"content":{"rendered":"

Richard Lewer has won the $100,000 Archibald Prize for his portrait of fellow artist, Pitjantjatjara elder and ngangkari (traditional healer) Iluwanti Ken.<\/p>\n

What is the Archibald Prize?The Archibald Prize is one of Australia\u2019s longest-running and democratic painting prizesIt was founded in 1921 \u2014 making this its 105th yearThe main award, worth $100,000, is for portraiture and is open to artists at any stage of their careerThe primary conditions of entry are that the portrait is a painting, that it is painted from life and that it is made in the 12 months preceding the cut-off dateThere is a preference for sitters who are “distinguished in art, letters, science or politics”Finalists are chosen by the AGNSW\u2019s board of trustees, while the Packing Room Prize is awarded by gallery staff<\/p>\n

New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based artist Lewer spent a week on Country with Ken, her family and community to paint the portrait, working in temperatures of about 47 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n

“I’m a little freckly man, so I burn easy,” he told ABC Arts, smiling.<\/p>\n

“It was so humbling to shine a spotlight on Iluwanti Ken \u2026 People should know her. She’s an incredible artist.<\/p>\n

“Even though she’s quite small in stature, she’s a massive personality, very funny and so warm.”<\/p>\n

Ken \u2014 who is also a finalist in this year’s Wynne Prize \u2014 works at arts centre Tjala Arts in Amata, in the A\u1e49angu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands of South Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She is known for her large-scale, monochromatic ink-on-paper drawings depicting Tjilpul (eagles).<\/p>\n

Lewer, who first met Ken through Jan Murphy Gallery in Brisbane six years ago, was thrilled to hear stories about Ken and her art and to paint with her at Tjala Arts.<\/p>\n

“Going out to Country has probably been the best experience of my life,” he said.<\/p>\n

For that week, he became part of the community, making endless cups of tea and even foraging for food.<\/p>\n

“I was talking like I would with any other artist about their making, their materials, their subject,” he added.<\/p>\n

“I was taking this time to slow down. In community, you take time out to think and reflect.”<\/p>\n

\"Archibald<\/p>\n

Lewer’s winning portrait of Iluwanti Ken depicts her as a working artist. (Supplied: AGNSW\/Jenni Carter)<\/p>\n

In his artist statement, he added: \u201cBeing on Country together deepened my understanding of her presence and the responsibilities she carries.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lewer’s portrait of Ken becomes the fifth painting of a First Nations person to win the Archibald in its 105-year history, joining portraits of artist Karla Dickens, AFL player Adam Goodes, musician Gurrumul and actor David Gulpilil.<\/p>\n

Accepting the award at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), Lewer said he was “chuffed to be here” and that winning the Archibald “means everything to me”.<\/p>\n

“I’ve had the great fortune and I’m a very lucky man to paint Iluwanti,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I’ve wanted to for some time, and Iluwanti, it’s an absolute pleasure that you gave me your time, took me to your Country and gave me the opportunity to paint you.”<\/p>\n

He highlighted the support he received from AGNSW, the galleries who represent him, and Tjala Arts, as well as his wife, Karen.<\/p>\n

“Making art is a lonely kind of sport. I’ve always said that \u2026 To make art all the time, you need the support of people.”<\/p>\n

But he told ABC Arts that he didn’t think his life would change too much after winning the Archibald.<\/p>\n

“I’m just going to get in the studio tomorrow and make work again, and that’s what you’ve got to do,” he said.<\/p>\n

A six-time Archibald finalist, Lewer was chosen unanimously by the board of trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), including artists Tony Albert<\/a> and Caroline Rothwell.<\/p>\n

Why portrait painting still matters<\/a><\/p>\n

What began as an awkward pose for the Archibald Prize became a meditation on why portrait painting still matters in the age of the iPhone.<\/p>\n

Lewer was one of 59 finalists for this year’s prize, chosen from 1,034 entries.<\/p>\n

Other finalists included portraits of Bondi hero Ahmed Al Ahmed<\/a>, Governor-General Sam Mostyn and ABC journalist Virginia Trioli (Creative Types<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Lewer’s win follows Sean Layh taking out the Packing Room Prize<\/a> on April 30 for his portrait of British Australian actor Jacob Collins in character as Shakespeare’s Hamlet.<\/p>\n

Past Archibald Prize winners include Julie Fragar for her portrait of fellow artist Justene Williams<\/a>; Laura Jones for her portrait of author Tim Winton<\/a>; and Julia Gutman for her portrait of musician Montaigne<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Wynne and Sulman<\/p>\n

The winner of the $50,000 Wynne Prize for landscape painting or figure sculpture was also announced: Gaypalani Wa\u1e49ambi for her metal work, The Wa\u1e49ambi tree. In 2025, she won the $100,000 top prize at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Wynne<\/p>\n

Wynne Prize 2026 winner, Gaypalani Wa\u1e49ambi’s The Wa\u1e49ambi tree. (Supplied: AGNSW\/Jenni Carter\u00a0)<\/p>\n

Her large-scale metal sculpture, using spray paint on etched steel, painted on the back of discarded road signs, tells the story of Wuyal, the honey hunter of the Marrakulu clan.<\/p>\n

“Wuyal was the first man to look for a homeland for the Marrakulu people,” she explained in her artist statement.<\/p>\n

Art work made from discarded road signs wins $100,000 art prize<\/a><\/p>\n

Gaypalani Wa\u1e49ambi, Bulanjdjan Lucy Yarawanga, Owen Yalandja and Jahkarli Felicitas Romanis are among the winners at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards.<\/p>\n

“He began a journey from \u014ailipitji through Gurka’wuy, travelling via Yu\u1e0fuyu\u1e0fu to Cape Shield, up to Trial Bay and along the Goyder River until he came to Nhulun\/Mt Saunders. He felled the ancestral Wa\u1e49ambi tree, causing a river of honey and thus founded the Marrakulu clan homeland at Gurka’wuy. The Marrakulu dance as bees in their ceremony, elbows extended, hands clutching stringybark leaves, which vibrate as wings.”<\/p>\n

Jennifer Mills and her son Darcy Luker won the $5,000 Trustees’ Watercolour Prize for their painting ET home, while Sann\u00e9 Mestrom was highly commended for her sculpture What the body knows.<\/p>\n

The $40,000 Sulman Prize for a genre or subject painting or mural went to Lucy Culliton for her painting of her rescue greyhound, titled Toolah, artist model. This year’s Sulman was judged by two-time Archibald winner Del Kathryn Barton.<\/p>\n

\"Sulman<\/p>\n

Sulman Prize 2026 winner, Lucy Culliton’s Toolah, artist model. (Supplied: AGNSW\/Diana Panuccio\u00a0)<\/p>\n

In her artist statement, Culliton said Toolah loves to sleep in a chair in her studio while she paints.<\/p>\n

“I love how she camouflages herself into the upholstery of the chair,” she wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“At the time, I was painting large Monaro grass paintings in a matching palette, so I had to include one.”<\/p>\n

Sharing the stage<\/p>\n

Ken is also a finalist in the Wynne Prize, with a sculpture of a nest, made from clay, fibre, emu feathers and wood. She created the work with fellow artists LeShaye Swan, who made the ceramic, and Justine Anderson who helped with weaving, while Ken carved the pot.<\/p>\n

In her artist statement, Ken explained the work is a cultural story.<\/p>\n

“Mother Eagle makes a manngu (nest), a ngura (home) for her babies,” she wrote. “She makes beds out of punu (branches), getting ready before her iti tjuta (babies) hatch.<\/p>\n

“It is the story of the mother and father hunting for mai (food) and creating a shelter so their tjitji (children) can grow strong. This pot is tjitji ngura manngu \u2014 the children’s nest and home.”<\/p>\n

\"Wynne<\/p>\n

Iluwanti Ken, LeShaye Swan and Justine Anderson’s work Nguntju Walawuruku manngu palapai ngura tjanampa (Mother Eagle makes a nest and home). (\u00a0Supplied: AGNSW\/Jenni Carter)<\/p>\n

That means both she and Lewer feature in the overarching Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes exhibition, in conversation with each other.<\/p>\n

“People now get to see the portrait of her, the woman, and then her artwork in the Wynne Prize,” Lewer told ABC Arts.<\/p>\n

“I just hope that lots of people get to experience Iluwanti Ken. It all goes back to her, and the focus goes back to her.”<\/p>\n

Archies 2026 in numbers:25 are first-time finalists14 finalists painted other artists; 5 painted self-portraits\u00a01 entrant has been a finalists 13 times (Tom Carment)Of 63 people painted, 32 are men and 31 are women, and 6 are First Nations<\/p>\n

In his artist statement, he described Ken as having an “immense, quiet authority” and praised the “urgency” of her work.<\/p>\n

“Birds appear in her drawings, paintings and ceramics as teachers of care, protection, provision and resilience, particularly for women and children,” he wrote.<\/p>\n

“These lessons shaped how I approached this portrait. I wanted to convey her strength and attentiveness, and reflect the way she watches over others.”<\/p>\n

He also wanted to depict Ken as a working artist, with flecks of paint on her arm, and life-size, “so her presence meets the viewer directly”, he explained. The yellow of the background reflects the heat and light of the APY Lands.<\/p>\n

Lewer’s painting of Ken is also one of 19 in the Archibald Prize to feature an artist, including five self-portraits.<\/p>\n

He suspects artists are drawn to painting other artists as an excuse to get to know one another, adding it’s also a kind of “homage”.<\/p>\n

“Once you start painting the person, you start understanding them more,” he said.<\/p>\n

“If you’re painting over their nose and their mouth and their shoulders, you get a sense of who they are. And that’s why painting portraiture can be so powerful.”<\/p>\n

The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2026 exhibition<\/a> runs May 9-August 16 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Richard Lewer has won the $100,000 Archibald Prize for his portrait of fellow artist, Pitjantjatjara elder and ngangkari…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":657141,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[317629,317624,72565,317623,317625,317626,64,63,134,317764,317765,317627,317628],"class_list":["post-657140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-archibald-finalists","tag-archibald-finalists-2026","tag-archibald-prize","tag-archibald-prize-2026","tag-archibald-prize-2026-finalists","tag-archibald-prize-winner","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-iluwanti-ken","tag-richard-lewer","tag-the-archibald","tag-the-archibald-prize"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/657140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=657140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/657140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/657141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=657140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=657140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=657140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}