Portrait of Pitjantjatjara Elder takes out Archibald Prize
Artist Richard Lewer has won the 2026 Archibald Prize with a life-size portrait of Pitjantjatjara elder, Iluwanti Ken. The announcement was made at the Art Gallery of NSW on Friday, confirming this year’s winner of Australia’s premier portrait prize.
Lewer’s painting depicts Iluwanti Ken, who is herself a senior artist and traditional healer. She is also a finalist in the 2026 Wynne Prize. According to Lewer, the work grew out of time he spent with her in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands of South Australia.
Key Points
- Richard Lewer wins 2026 Archibald Prize with portrait of Iluwanti Ken
- Winning work portrays Pitjantjatjara elder, senior artist and traditional healer
- Prize announced at the Art Gallery of NSW on Friday
- Chosen from 1034 entries, with 59 finalists across the field
- Lucy Culliton takes Sulman Prize for Toolah, artist model
- Gaypalani Wanambi wins Wynne Prize for The Wanambi tree
- Exhibition runs until August 16 before touring NSW and Victoria
The Archibald Prize winner was selected from 1034 entries and narrowed to a field of 59 finalists before the announcement at the Art Gallery of NSW. The portrait competition has been running for more than a century and is widely regarded as Australia’s most prominent portrait award.
The 2026 edition continued the long-standing tradition of featuring well-known Australian figures as subjects. Artists painted leaders from public life, arts and culture, sport and fashion across the finalists’ list.
- Governor-General Sam Mostyn
- Actors Marta Dusseldorp, Susie Porter and Sheridan Harbridge
- Musician Mick Turner
- Surfer Layne Beachley
- Fashion designers Nicky and Simone Zimmermann
- Alemais founder Lesleigh Jermanus
Lewer said he worked closely with his subject in the APY Lands, where the painting took shape. He described Iluwanti Ken as both commanding and softly spoken, and explained that the composition was intended to bring viewers face-to-face with her presence.
“In person, Iluwanti is a small woman, but she carries immense, quiet authority,”
— Richard Lewer, artist
He portrayed her at life-size, foregrounding a personal encounter that underscores the work. The setting, he noted, was infused with heat and light, conditions he sought to evoke through the painting’s chromatic choices and the overall treatment of the background.
Ken’s dual role as a senior artist and traditional healer, and her status as a finalist in the 2026 Wynne Prize, were part of the picture that Lewer set out to realise. He positioned the portrait to meet the viewer directly, reflecting a considered and deliberate approach to scale and space.
Other major prizes were also confirmed. The Sulman Prize went to Lucy Culliton for a portrait of one of her many pet greyhounds, titled Toolah, artist model. Gaypalani Wanambi won the Wynne Prize with a work titled The Wanambi tree, executed in spray paint on etched steel.
The winners and finalists in all prizes will be on show at the Art Gallery of NSW until August 16. After the Sydney exhibition concludes, the works are scheduled to tour regional NSW and Victoria.
