Warren Lane’s portrait of mining magnate Gina Rinehart eating chocolate cake under the gaze of daughter Ginia has won the 2013 Bald Archy Prize.
The Melbourne artist based his work, The Banquet of Gina and Ginia, on the 17th century Dutch painting by Jan Victors, The Banquet of Esther and Ahasureus. This has been a popular subject throughout the history of painting, and Warren Lane saw parallels between the biblical story and the Rinehart family feud.
The presence of Ginia indicates her position as the only of Gina’s four children to have sided with her in the ongoing court battle over their family trust. On the table is a rolled up edition of The Age, a reference to Rinehart’s status as the largest single shareholder of Fairfax Media.
Now in its 20th year, the Bald Archy was created as a spoof of the Archibald Prize, the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ prestigious annual portrait prize. The Archibald Prize and exhibition is undoubtedly hugely popular, but every year attracts criticism for producing ugly art, being a celebrity popularity contest, and because the AGNSW Trustees are the judges year after year. Recently Del Kathryn Barton won the 2013 Archibald for her portrait of Hugo Weaving.
The Bald Archy was founded in 1994 by Peter Batey at a country arts festival, the Coolac Festival of Fun. Batey, who continues to administer the prize, says of art prize mania, ‘The nation is awash with art competitions and prizes. So much so that it’s got to the stage where if you haven’t won, even at the local country show, you are regarded as being bottom of the heap.’
The Bald Archy attracts portrait paintings of caricature, vulgarity or gentle comedy.
Although notoriously media-shy, Rinehart was popular amongst entries this year, with 8 finalists depicting the mining and media mogul. A runner up is another Rinehart portrait by Melbourne artist Tony Sowersby, and shows her wearing a white dress, large white hat and signature pearls, putting a $2 coin into an outstretched African hand.
Other portrait subjects in this year’s Bald Archy were Julie Bishop, Quentin Bryce, Alan Jones, Bryce Courtenay, Bob Carr, Cardinal George Pell, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Geoffrey Rush. The subjects of previous years’ winners include Bert Newton, Julian Assange, Tony Abbot, Julia Gillard, Barry Humphries, John Howard and the Danish Royal Family.
The Bald Archy is annually judged by a sulphur-crested cockatoo called Maude, who is thankfully showing no signs of slowing down.
The Bald Archy exhibition is currently showing in Sydney. See the website for more exhibition information.
