A portrait of one of Australia’s bestselling authors has won the 2024 Archibald Prize.
Artist Laura Jones took home the prestigious art prize, which invites artists to paint a portrait of a well-known Australian, for her artwork of Cloudstreet writer Tim Winton.
She was named as the winner of the $100,000 prize after a unanimous decision in what she described as a ‘life-changing moment’.
Speaking to The Project on Friday, the four-time finalist of the competition said: ‘I got the biggest shock of my life this morning. Heart beating out of my chest it was crazy.’
Jones said she met non-fiction and novel author Winton at an environmentalist event, and eventually convinced the reluctant writer to sit for her.
A portrait of one of Australia’s bestselling authors has won the 2024 Archibald Prize. Artist Laura Jones took home the art prize for her artwork of Cloudstreet writer Tim Winton
Jones took home the $100,00 prize after meeting non-fiction and novel author Winton at an environmentalist event, and eventually convincing the reluctant writer to sit for her
The artist said the generous prize money will allow her to buy ‘a lot more canvases and keep me going as an artist’ for a lot longer than she expected.
Winton is one of Australia’s best-selling authors and most celebrated authors and has produced works of fiction, non-fiction and children’s books as well as scripts.
He is well-known for his works Breath, The Turning and Blueback, while his writing has also been adapted into plays, TV series and films.
Winton has also won the Miles Franklin Award four times and was named a Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia in 1997.
The win comes after another finalist, Caroline Zilinsky, divided fans of Jacob Elordi after the Hollywood hunk shared her shortlisted portrait of him to social media.
The artist also claimed the generous prize money will allow her to buy ‘a lot more canvases and keep me going as an artist’ for a lot longer than she expected
The Brisbane-born actor, 26, posted a photo of the oil painting, which depicts a shirtless Jacob flexing his muscles in a pair of jeans, to Instagram on Wednesday.
The abstract piece is a unique interpretation of Jacob with his body drawn out of proportion, with a long neck, thin arms and very slender stomach.
Many of Elordi’s followers quickly took to the comment section to share their commentary about the artwork.
‘Bruh, WTF is this?’ one confused follower asked, while a second person added: ‘I don’t know what this is, but I love you.’
Meanwhile, other fans loved the work and quickly praised Zilinsky for brilliantly depicting Jacob.
It comes after Jacob Elordi has divided his fans after sharing an abstract portrait of himself by fellow finalist and Sydney artist Caroline Zilinsky
The Brisbane-born actor, 26, posted a photo of the oil painting to Instagram on Wednesday, which depicts a shirtless Jacob flexing his muscles in a pair of jeans
‘Incredibly detailed and insightful artwork that has a deserved place in the esteemed Archibald Prize!’ one person gushed, while a second added: ‘It’s incredible.’
Zilinsky also shared a photo of a shirtless Jacob sitting for the portrait in his trailer while filming on-set.
‘The theme and title of the painting springs from “The Myth of Sisyphus” by Albert Camus, which Jacob was reading at the time of our sitting,’ Zilinsky told Daily Mail Australia.
‘My only interest was to see the man that sat before me and he in turn see himself in the work. Sometimes reality must be transcended to do that.’
The modernist painter has drawn many abstract portraits of famous people throughout her career, including Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
