Nigel Milsom has been awarded the prestigious Archibald Prize for a portrait of his former barrister.
The otherworldly rendering of author, filmmaker and barrister Charles Waterstreet has taken out this year’s prestigious award, with Milsom explaining he wanted Watershed to appear as a giant. The personal relationship between the pair dates back 40 years to when Milsom’s father would sell Waterstreet’s father fresh fish, but was cemented in more recent years when Watershed represented Milsom as his barrister.
This is the third time the Newcastle artist has been a finalist in the competition and his first win, taking out a neat $100,000 for his troubles. The winners ofthe Wynne Prize and the Sulman Prize were also announced today, going to Natasha Bieniek and Jason Phu respectively.
Image: Detail of Charles Waterstreet by Nigel Milsom
For further details on the Archibald Prize and this year’s finalists head to the Art Gallery of NSW website. The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman exhibits open this Saturday July 18.
