This finalists for this year’s Archibald Prize, the nation’s beloved award for portraiture, have just been announced. As always, there are thoughtful self-portraits and studies of close friends – Tom Polo has even painted Roslyn Oxley, the Sydney dealer who helped him launch his career with a bang – but in true Archibald fashion, the prize also records figures who have shaped the national dialogue over the past year.
With the help of her children, Marikit Santiago has painted the artist Khaled Sabsabi, hand outstretched in a generous and open gesture. Julia Dover’s My Friend captures Ahmed Al Ahmed, the hero of the December 2025 Bondi shootings, with one arm raised and the other in a sling. Elsewhere, there are portraits of leading cultural figures with rich legacies, including artist Judy Watson, writer Gerald Murnane and art world icons Garrett Huxley and Will Huxley.
