Portraiture is the most accessible form of visual art. No matter the style in which it is rendered, the human likeness is something we can all relate to. It’s the one form of art we have all created at some point in our lives—there is something elemental in human nature that drives us to draw or paint the likenesses of people.
We don’t have to be experts to enjoy portraiture and we are proud to provide Western Australia with the opportunity to engage with the best of the artform each year in a format that puts the artists and community front-and-centre.
Ben Howe, Cartagena Library, 2023. Oil on panel, 50 x 60 cm.
Judges comment, provided by Rex Butler, Alec Coles OBE and Hannah Mathews:
Ben Howe’s Cartagena Library reminded the selection committee of the German artist Hans Holbein’s The Ambassadors (1533). It’s a portrait of two self-possessed men sitting in a library staring confidently at the viewer, surrounded by the finer things of life. But the twist is that they are not the usual inhabitants of the room but playing a role. They are two gay men portrayed as their straight friends in a room that is not theirs. (The judges hope they have got this right.) But it doesn’t really matter. It’s a beautifully done painting that remains permanently enigmatic like that great Holbein.
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Vicki Sullivan, Fiona with walkabout wickets, 2024. Oil on linen, 79 x 63 cm.
Judges comment, provided by Rex Butler, Alec Coles OBE and Hannah Mathews:
Vicki Sullivan’s Fiona with Walkabout Wickets depicts the renowned Aboriginal woman artist Fiona Clarke, whose artwork Walkabout Wickets is worn by Australian men and women cricket teams whenever they play. Fiona is also the relative of two of the members of the team of Aboriginal men cricketers who were in fact the first team of cricketers to represent this country in 1866. Fiona sits proudly with her painting, both on the wall behind her and emblazoned on her T-shirt just visible beneath her robe. Howzat!.
Dylan Jones, I have something to tell you, 2023. Oil on board, 60 x 55 cm.
Judges comment, provided by Rex Butler, Alec Coles OBE and Hannah Mathews:
Dylan Jones is an up-and-coming Brisbane painter, but on this occasion he has painted Newcastle musician Christopher Sutherland. The portrait is largely made up of broad strokes of subtly coloured paint, but the face has coalesced out of myriad smaller dabs of the brush — something of a balancing act between abstraction and figuration. The painting altogether is executed with considerable dash and verve.
Lucinda Tassone, I love fast food, 2024. Oil on masonite, 122 x 91 cm.
Minderoo selected panel of judges comment, provided by Bruno Booth, Imogen Castledine, Luisa Hansal and Brent Harrison:
This work exemplifies the courage of both the artist and her sister in declaring their personal, unglamorous reality in a public way. The sisters claim they have nothing in common except the shared experience of working in fast food service. This is addressed in a pragmatic, humorous way. The piece confronts the reality that family is not always idyllic, while also highlighting the camaraderie of the fast food ‘family’ bonded through a hellish experience.
The choice to make the work close and gritty is a courageous one. The application of layers of paint, heavily concentrated on the face and contrasted with loose washes elsewhere, underscores the distinction between individual identity and the uniform.
Jenna Pickering, Together as one , 2023. Oil on paperbark, 13 x 6 cm.
Judges comment, provided by Rex Butler, Alec Coles OBE and Hannah Mathews:
Jenna Pickering is a self-described “unschooled” artist, but this portrait of Yinhawangka elder Brendon Cook on paperbark is hardly that. Pickering often paints rock stars in their full pomp and glory, but this portrait is much more subtle and withdrawn. Cook stares out into the dark, carrying the future of his community with him.
Rachael Robb, Self portrait with bird , 2023. Oil on birch panel, 30 x 40 cm.
Judges comment, provided by Shaun Chambers and the WAM Install team:
The painting has an eye-catching pink frame around it which draws you to the painting to start with. Then looking at it properly, we can see it is technically and beautifully painted. When we put the laser level on it, the pupils of both the eye of the artist and the small bird, are perfectly level with each other, creating an intense look between the two of them. It has grown on us and is growing on us even more.
The Lester Prize Main Awards exhibition will be held at Western Australian Museum from 13 September to 17 November 2024.
2024 Finalists:
Daevid Anderson (WA) • Sarah Anthony (VIC) • Adoni Astrinakis (VIC) • Matthew Clarke (VIC) • Jennifer D’Arcy (VIC) • Brenton Drechsler (SA) • Stefano Flonta (TAS) • Liz Gridley (VIC) • Blake Griffiths (NSW) • Ben Howe (VIC) • Mia Janney (WA) • Dwayne Jessell (WA) • Jiali Jiang (WA) • Dylan Jones (QLD) • Steph Jowett (NSW) • Kate Just (VIC) • Kristina Lynch (WA) • Jonathon Malgil (WA) • Christopher Malouf (NSW) • Katie Masonwells (NSW) • Isabelle Otto (WA) • Sid Pattni (WA) • Jenna Pickering (WA) • Ravi Prasad (NSW) • Victoria Reichelt (QLD) • Rachael Robb (VIC) • Jenny Rodgerson (VIC) • Cassie Rowe (WA) • Stephanie Sheppard (WA) • Ruby Smedley (WA) • Sue Strizek (WA) • Vicki Sullivan (VIC) • Caitlyn Taylor (QLD) • Lucinda Tassone (WA) • Throwaway (VIC) • Peter Thomas (WA) • Sharon Warrie (WA) • Peter Wegner (VIC) • Fiona White (VIC) • Chee Yong (TAS)
Ph 08 9423 5116
PO Box 1110
Nedlands WA 6909
