Ben Apfelbaum

DOUG MORAN NATIONAL PORTRAIT PRIZE 2019

It is always a pleasure to hear the dulcet tones of Richard Morecroft who emceed the announcement of Australia’s richest art prize, the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize for 2019 worth $150,000 to the artist’s winning entry.

Entries of original works must capture Australians from all walks of life, whether a public figure or someone from their own social and collegiate circle.

Works must be painted at least partly from life with the sitter aware of  the artist’s intention to enter the Prize The judges were Kelly Gellatly, who is currently the Director of the Ian Potter Museum Of Art  at the University of Melbourne, Nigel Milson, a Doug Moran National Portrait Prize winner in 2013, and Peter Moran, the Managing Director of the Morn Health Care Group, whose parents Greta and Doug Moran established the Moran Arts Foundation  and the Prize itself during the Australian bicentennial celebrations in 1988. Greta Moran was present for the announcement.

The Moran Article ts Foundation is a philanthropic, not for profit organisation whose objective is to support the arts in Australia through the Moran Contemporary Photographic prizes, the free Moran School Photographic Workshops, Doug Moran National Portrait Prize and the provision of Juniper Hall in Paddington as an exhibition space.

The judges stated that they had a very difficult task. Close to 1,000 artists entered who then had to be cut down to 139 semi-finalists. Thereafter the top 30 works were selected by all the judges each year. The finalists  each received $1000 and their artworks are all on display at Juniper Hall.

The winner was Blue Mountains based artist What for his portrait of Robert Forster, the former lead singer of the  Go-Betweens  The judges were taken by the shimmering effect of the Work captured by What. His receipt of the Prize was a life changing event and when queried about his name he replied ‘I like to keep a bit of mystery’.   What graduated from the National Art School which he entered at 17 years of age 30 years ago.

Other portraits  on show are of former Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, actors Sigrid Thornton, Noah Taylor, Matt Nable, Barry Otto and designer Kym Ellery ‘

http://www.moranarts.org.au 

http://www.moranprizes.com.au

Featured image: Ben Howe & his Matilda Portrait. All pics by Ben Apfelbaum

 

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.