ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNERS - FRIDAY 26 MARCH AT 12 NOON (MEDIA ONLY)

Australia's most extraordinary art event, the Archibald Prize, first awarded in 1921, is one of this country's oldest and most prestigious art awards. Combined with the Wynne and Sulman Prizes, lively debate and controversy is assured.

The winners of all three prizes will be announced to the media only on Friday 26 March at 12 noon.

With the financial support of the Colonial Foundation Trust, the winner of the Archibald Prize receives $35,000, the Wynne Prize for landscape painting or figure sculpture $15,000, and the Sulman Prize for subject/genre painting and/or mural work $10,000.

ENTRIES
Monday 8 March to Friday 12 March, between 8am and 4pm each day
Entries for all prizes will be received at the Art Gallery of New South between 8am and 4pm from Monday 8 March until Friday 12 March.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF ARTISTS SHORTLISTED FOR ALL PRIZES, AND THE PACKING ROOM PRIZE
Thursday 18 March at 12 noon (media only)
The names of artists selected for the Archibald, Wynne & Sulman Prizes will be announced to the media only on Thursday 18 March at 12 noon. The names will be advertised nationally on Thursday 25 March.

At the same time the Packing Room Prize will be announced. This highly coveted prize of $500 is awarded by the burly blokes behind the scenes, who receive, unpack and hang all the entries. First awarded in 1991, the Packing Room Prize is adjudicated by the Gallery�s Storeman, Steve Peters, who continues to claim his right to 51% of the votes.

The 2003 Packing Room Prize was won by Jan Williamson for her painting Rachel Ward - actor.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNERS
Friday 26 March at 12 noon (media only)
The winners of the Archibald, Wynne & Sulman Prizes will be announced to the media on Friday 26 March at 12 noon.
The exhibition will be on view to the public from Saturday 26 March to Sunday 16 May.

THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE
Thursday 6 May at 12 noon
Since 1988 the public has had the opportunity to vote for their favourite portrait in the Archibald exhibition. This year the winner of the 'People's Choice' will be announced on Thursday 6 May at 12 noon. The artist and the selected voter will each be presented with $2,500.

The 2003 People's Choice was won by Dalu Zhao - Lao Fei Stephen Fitzgerald.

Winners of all prizes will be announced to media only on Friday 26 March 2004 at 12 noon.

On View

Saturday 27 March to Sunday 16 May 2004
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery Road
The Domain, Sydney

Telephone

(02) 9225 1744 or recorded information (02) 9225 1790
National toll free 1800 679 278

Website

www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au

Hours

7 days a week 10am to 5pm
(closed Easter Friday and Christmas Day)
open until 9pm on Wednesdays

Admission

$8 adults $6 concessions/students/members

Media Information

Jan Batten, Press Office
Telephone (02) 9225 1791or 0418 279 348
Email janb@ag.nsw.gov.au

TOURING DATES
The NSW Regional Tour of the Archibald Prize is managed by the Museums and Galleries Foundation of New South Wales (telephone (02) 9339 9906.

Broken Hill City Art Gallery

Friday 4 June - Sunday 4 July

Orange Regional Art Gallery

Friday 9 July - Sunday 8 August

Grafton Regional Gallery

Friday 13 August - Sunday 19 September

Gosford Regional Gallery

Friday 24 September - Sunday 31 October

Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne

Saturday 6 November 2004 - Sunday 9 January 2005

The Archibald, Wynne & Sulman Prizes are supported by the Colonial Foundation Limited:

THE COLONIAL FOUNDATION
In 1996, The Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society Ltd., after 123 years as a mutual life insurance society, demutualised and, in 1997, was listed on the stock exchange as Colonial Limited. As part of the demutualisation, and in order to reflect in some way its origin as a mutual society, formed to provide a service to its members and the communities it served, the Colonial Foundation Trust was created. Colonial Foundation Limited was formed to act as trustee of the Trust.

Following the merger of Colonial Limited with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in June 2000, Colonial Foundation Limited became fully independent, with the responsibility of carrying out the broadly defined charitable objectives of the Colonial Foundation Trust.

The Colonial Foundation is delighted to provide financial support for the Archibald, Wynne & Sulman Prizes consistent with one of its objectives, that of improving community quality of life through the arts and cultural activities.

Sir Ninian Stephen
Chairman
Colonial Foundation Limited
 

THE ARCHIBALD PRIZE
Jules Fran�ois Archibald's primary aim, through his bequest of 1919, was to foster portraiture, as well as support artists, and perpetuate the memory of great Australians.

Amongst many controversies, these original aims have certainly been fulfilled, and indeed many believe the Archibald Prize has done more than any other single event to stimulate and sustain public interest in the art of portrait painting in Australia.

The Archibald Prize was first awarded in 1921 and over the years some of Australia's most prominent artists have won, including George Lambert (1927), William Dobell (1943, '48 and '59) Brett Whiteley (1976 and '78) and William Robinson (1987, '95). The subjects of Archibald winners have been equally celebrated in their fields and include 'Banjo' Patterson, Margaret Olley, Patrick White, Paul Keating, John Bell and David Wenham.

The 2003 Archibald Prize was won by Geoffrey Dyer for his portrait Richard Flanagan.

The Archibald Prize is judged by the Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Image: Geoffrey Dyer in front of winning work Richard Flanagan 2003

THE WYNNE PRIZE
In the terms of the bequest of the late Richard Wynne of Mount Wilson, who died in 1895, the Wynne Prize is awarded to what the judges consider to be the best landscape painting of Australian scenery in oils or watercolours, or for the best example of figure sculpture by an Australian artist.

It was first awarded in 1897, in honour of the official opening of the Art Gallery of New South Wales at its present site. Many winning paintings have become icons in Australian landscape painting, entering the collections of public art museums: Hans Heysen's watercolour Summer, a consummate masterpiece of 1909, and Russell Drysdale's classic Sofala of 1947 were both purchased for the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. No less than eight Wynne Prize winning entries have been purchased by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

The winner of the 2003 Wynne Prize was Tim Kyle for his sculpture Seated Figure.

The Wynne Prize is judged by the Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Entries in the Wynne Prize are also considered by the judges for The Trustees' Watercolour Prize ($2,000) and for the John & Elizabeth Newham Pring Memorial Prize ($250). In 2002 The Trustees' Watercolour Prize was awarded to Judy Cassab for her painting Nocturne, Rainbow Valley.

Image: Tim Kyle in front of his winning work Seated Figure 2004

THE SULMAN PRIZE 
The Sulman Prize is awarded for the best subject painting, genre painting or mural project by an Australian artist. Established within the terms of the late Sir John Sulman's bequest, it was first awarded in 1936. In 1991 Kevin Connor's painting Najaf (Iraq) won the prize and this painting was purchased by the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

The winner of the 2003 Sulman Prize was Eric Smith for Reflection.

Artist Aida Tomescu is the judge of the 2004 Sulman Prize.