Julia Gutman Wins Archibald Prize 2023

Julia Gutman b. 1993, Australia Follow +

Sydney artist Julia Gutman, 29, has won the Archibald Prize 2023 for her portrait of Aussie singer Montaigne, Head in the sky, feet on the ground (2023).

‘In this remarkable tender portrait of a young musician who is making her way in a tough business, we see an intimacy and vulnerability that is truly compelling,’ said Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) director Michael Brand.

‘Montaigne and I have been friends for a few years and there is a lot of alignment in our practices; we are both interested in creating our own forms and approaches rather than strictly adhering to any one tradition,’ said Gutman.

Gutman said she was ‘so grateful to be working at a time when young female voices are heard’.

‘So much of my practice is devoted to revisiting, critiquing and contending with the histories housed in institutions. It’s so affirming for that conversation to be recognised in such a public way,’ she said.

Gutman reuses found textiles to produce painted ‘patchworks’. She was included in the exhibition Primavera 2022: Young Australian Artists at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, and was a finalist in the 2021 Ramsay Art Prize.

Gutman’s painting was one of 57 finalists selected from 949 entries for the AU $100,000 Archibald Prize.

The Wynne Prize for best landscape painting of Australian scenery or for the best example of figure sculpture by an Australian artist went to Zaachariaha Fielding for his painting Inma, which depicts the sounds of Mimili, a community in South Australia.

The Sulman Prize for best subject painting, genre painting, or mural project by an Australian artist went to Doris Bush Nungarrayi for her work Mamunya ngalyananyi (Monster coming), which depicts malevolent spirits called Mamus.

All of the finalists in all three prizes will be exhibited at AGNSW from 6 May to 3 September 2023. —[O]

Main image: Julia Gutman, Head in the sky, feet on the ground (2023). Oil, found textiles, and embroidery on canvas. 198 x 213.6 cm. Courtesy the artist. Image courtesy Art Gallery of New South Wales, Jenni Carter.