Ben Apfelbaum

ARCHIBALD PRIZE 2016 WINNER : LOUISE HEARMAN

Louise Hearman views her Archibald Prize winning entry.
Louise Hearman views her Archibald Prize winning entry simply titled Barry. Image (c) Ben Apfelbaum.

Melbourne artist Louise Hearman has won the 2016 Archibald Prize with her electic portrait of iconic Australian Barry Humphries.

Painting entertainer, satirist, artist and Dadaist, Barry Humphries, this is the first time Hearman has been a finalist in the country’s most famous prize.

Best known for his alter-ego Dame Edna Everage, among other comic characters including Sir Les Patterson and Sandy Stone, Barry Humphries is a perennial favourite sitter for the Archibald Prize, this being his sixth time. His first appearance in the Archibald Prize was in 1969 as Dame Edna Everage.

“I’m the happiest girl in the world right now!” Hearman said as she received the call this morning from Art Gallery of New South Wales director Michael Brand.

Michael Brand, Director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Michael Brand, Director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Image (c) Ben Apfelbaum.

“I have admired Barry Humphries since I was a young girl, and I’m thrilled for him too,” Hearman said.

“Winning the Archibald is an extraordinary, extraordinary thing for an artist, but the best thing about the Archibald Prize really, is that it gets all artists in the public eye. Today is the one day each year artists eclipse sportsmen in the news!”

Titled Barry, Hearman’s oil on Masonite portrait represents the artist’s enduring admiration of Humphries.

“That genius is now an international superstar. For years I had hoped that one day this frighteningly brilliant individual, who also paints, would see a show of mine when he was in Melbourne and like my work.

“As it happened we became friends through mutual acquaintances and, much to my delight, Barry agreed to sit for a portrait. I tried many ideas, but as it progressed, the painting itself showed me the way,” Hearman said.

The Archibald Prize winner is decided by the Gallery’s board of trustees. The trust’s vice president, Mark Nelson, said the judging had taken a considerable amount of time.

“There was much deliberation and many worthwhile Archibald contenders, but Louise Hearman’s portrait took centre-stage in the end. It stood out as a portrait that truly captured the spirit of the sitter – she has caught Barry’s sardonic smile brilliantly,” commented Nelson.

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborland. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, united states, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication.