Julie Fragar wins Archibald Prize 2025 with portrait of artist Justene Williams
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Sunday, May 25, 2025


Julie Fragar wins Archibald Prize 2025 with portrait of artist Justene Williams
Winner Archibald Prize 2025, Julie Fragar Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene), oil on canvas, 240 x 180.4 cm © the artist.



SYDNEY.- The Art Gallery of New South Wales announced that Brisbane artist Julie Fragar has won the Archibald Prize 2025 and $100,000 for her portrait of fellow Brisbane artist and colleague Justene Williams, titled Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene), which depicts Williams as an ‘active master of a multiverse of characters and events’.

A four-time Archibald Prize finalist, Fragar broke into tears when Art Gallery of New South Wales director Maud Page phoned this morning to deliver the news that her work had been selected as the winner from 57 finalist works.

Responding to the win, Fragar said: ‘You work your whole career imagining this might happen one day. Thinking back to myself as a 17 year old showing up at the Sydney College of the Arts – a kid from country New South Wales – it’s incredible to think I have won the Archibald Prize. Portrait painting wasn’t taken as seriously in the 1990s as it is today. I have always regarded the Archibald Prize as a place that understood the value of portraiture.

‘To be the winner of the Archibald Prize is a point of validation. It means so much to have the respect of my colleagues at the Art Gallery. It doesn’t get better than that.’

Speaking of her sitter, she said: ‘Justene is incredible. I feel very fortunate that she allowed me to do this portrait. There is nobody like her. The work is a reflection on the experience of making art to deadlines, and the labour and love of being a mother.’

‘Flagship Mother’ in the title comes from Justene’s recent endurance performance in New Zealand titled Making do rhymes with poo, which was about the labour of ‘getting by’. Fragar and Williams work together at the Queensland College of Art and Design, where Fragar is the head of painting and Williams is the head of sculpture.

This is the 15th time the Archibald Prize has been awarded to a woman, and Fragar is the 13th woman to win since its inception in 1921.

Speaking of the winning work, Art Gallery director Maud Page said: ‘Here are two of Australia’s great artists in conversation about what matters most to them. Julie Fragar has a sumptuous ability to transcend reality and depict her subjects technically but also psychologically. Justene Williams is a larger-than-life character, a performer – cacophonous and joyous. In this work, she is surrounded by her own artworks and, most important of all, her daughter Honore as a tiny figure atop a sculpture. It speaks to me as a powerful rendition of the juggle some of us perform as mothers and professionals.’

The Archibald Prize and the Wynne Prize winners are decided by the Art Gallery’s Board of Trustees. Board president Michael Rose congratulated all the finalists in the 2025 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes and commended the high standard of work this year.

‘Julie Fragar’s work is a portrait for our time. It’s a highly accomplished formal painting that is also incredibly contemporary. The work is vibrant, outward-facing and optimistic, and we were captivated by its energy,’ said Rose.

The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2025 exhibition and the Young Archie competition are generously supported by presenting partner ANZ.

Mark Whelan, Group Executive, Institutional at ANZ said: ‘The Archibald Prize is one Australia’s most coveted art awards and we congratulate Julie Fragar on this prestigious honour. As a proud supporter of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes exhibition for 16 years, ANZ celebrates the incredible depth of artistic talent showcased through these distinguished prizes.’










Today's News

May 10, 2025

Vero Beach Museum of Art expands holdings with key contemporary art acquisitions

Morocco debuts at Venice Architecture Biennale with "Materiae Palimpsest"

First exhibition of Claes Oldenburg's Multiples in London opens at Shapero Modern on Bond Street

Christie's presents Magnificent Mughal Jewels: Property from a Royal Collection

Michelangelo - Love and Death in cinemas from 20 May

Moderne Gallery opens first US solo show by ceramicist Tanaka Tomomi

Mainie Jellett masterpiece leads Whyte's Summer Auction

Hyundai Card hosts David Salle's captivating 'Under One Roof' exhibition in Seoul

Kalfayan Galleries opens the first solo exhibition in Greece by Harm Gerdes

Kathleen Ryan's first major museum survey opens at Kistefos, showcasing a decade of sculpture

Jun Aoki brings to Venice the timeless spirit of a nation that has long embraced nature

Julie Fragar wins Archibald Prize 2025 with portrait of artist Justene Williams

Małgorzata Mirga-Tas replaces 16th-century tapestry, centering Romani women at Royal Museums Brussels

Jude Rae wins the Wynne Prize 2025 for Pre-dawn sky over Port Botany container terminal

Gene A'Hern wins the Sulman Prize 2025 for Sky painting

Cutting-edge, digital-led exhibition Amongst the clouds opens at Artspace

Palm Springs Art Museum opens first Howard Smith retrospective in the United States

Italian pavilion at Venice Biennale explores "Terrae Aquae," rethinking Italy's relationship with the sea

Tapestry of Black Britons exhibition at Arnolfini showcases a series of woven panels

Qatar Pavilion presents two-part exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia

The Broad brings Jeffrey Gibson's celebrated 2024 Venice Biennale presentation to Los Angeles

Martin Creed exhibition inaugurates Camden Arts Projects in Grade II-listed former Methodist church

What Are Anabolic Steroids?

Upgrade Your Smile: Brisbane's Best Options for Veneers and Dental Implants

8 Transformative Software Tools for Growing Businesses

10 Tips to Overcome Prenatal Depression with Outpatient Therapy

Asphalt, Metal, or Solar? What a Roofing Company Near Me Recommends Based on Your Budget

🎰 Slot x1000 Expert: The Genius Behind Explosive Jackpots!

Introducing Skye at Holland A Luxurious Residences Launch, 296 Units Sold by August 2023 at $2,807

How Custom Art Gifts Are Making Gifting More Personal

How ERP Developers Enhance Business Processes for Operational Success

Why Buying Followers Is Out, And Growing Organically Is In




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor:  Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt
(52 8110667640)

Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful