BENDIGO.- Judges Jessica Bridgfoot (Bendigo Art Gallery Director), Tracy Cooper-Lavery (Director of HOTA, Queensland) and Roslyn Feeney (representing the Guy family) selected the finalists from a record entry pool of 439, with works received from every Australian state as well as France, Germany and the Netherlands.

The 2019 Arthur Guy Memorial Paining Prize finalists are:

Kylie Banyard, Natasha Bieniek, Marion Borgelt, Angela Brennan, Kirsty Budge, Daniel Butterworth, Zhong Chen, Nadine Christensen, Leo Coyte, Greg Creek, Fernando do Campo, Mark Dober, Juan Ford, Helga Groves, Stephen Haley, Gregory Hodge, Kez Hughes, Jennifer Joseph, Dena Kahan, Adam Lee, Belem Lett, Richard Lewer, Dane Lovett, Jordan Marani, Karla Marchesi, Rob McHaffie, Moya Mckenna, Jahnne Pasco-White, Victoria Reichelt, Noel Skrzypczak, Michael Vale, Judith Van Heeren, Craig Waddell, Megan Walch, Amber Wallis and Darren Wardle.

Finalists’ works will go on display at Bendigo Art Gallery on September 14th and the winner announced on September 19th, 2019.

Held every two years, the Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize offers audiences the opportunity to see some of the most exciting, new contemporary paintings from a wide cross-section of emerging and leading Australian artists. Previous winners include Stieg Persson, Dale Frank, Stephen Bush, Jan Nelson, Tim Johnson, Chris Bond, Guan Wei and Margaret Loy Pula. As an acquisitive prize, the winning work joins the Bendigo Art Gallery’s permanent collection.

The prize was initiated by Mr Allen Guy CBE (1917-2007) to honour his brother Arthur Guy (1914-1945) whose life was tragically cut short whilst in service in New Guinea. Arthur was educated at Camp Hill State School in Bendigo and then at Ballarat Grammar School.

“The 2019 finalist pool offers an exciting mix of established and emerging artists, with varying interests - abstraction, portraiture and still life traditions are all represented,” said Bendigo Art Gallery Director Jessica Bridgfoot.

“The AGMPP is also an important survey of contemporary Australian panting, and we thank the Guy family for continuing this generous and important prize,” she said.