Indigenous Vincent Namatjira claims 2020's Archibald Prize
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E-mail Xinhua, November 23, 2020
SYDNEY, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Archibald Prize has been won by an Indigenous artist.
Vincent Namatjira claimed 2020's Archibald Prize for his portrait of AFL legend Adam Goodes, who is also Indigenous, in a work titled "Stand strong for who you are."
"It's very important and very exciting to have an Indigenous winner in the Archibald Prize in 2020, it's about time," Archibald Curator Anne Ryan told Xinhua on Monday.
Namatjira's work tells a story of race, pride and conflict in modern Australia. By combining images of both men, it displays their shared experience and resilience now and into the future.
To enter the Archibald, paintings must be a portrait of somebody the artist has met or a distinguished or notable figure from the Australian society. The winner is chosen by the New South Wales State Art Gallery's board of trustees.
This year's Packing Room Prize, as chosen by the gallery's staff, was also claimed by an Indigenous artist, Meyne Wyatt, for his self portrait titled "Meyne."
"The Archibald Prize is the gallery's most popular exhibition and has a very broad audience so we will have people coming to see this exhibition who may just come once a year to see this show," Ryan said.
As a reflection of the country over the past year, the themes and subjects of the Archibald are constantly changing and audiences are invited to form their own opinions about which paintings they find most engaging. Enditem
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