Laura Jones has won the 2024 Archibald Prize

We are so proud to announce that Laura Jones has won the 2024 Archibald Prize with her portrait of Tim Winton.

In 2016, Laura Jones undertook an artist residency to study the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef, leading to her exhibition Bleached. Afterwards, she met acclaimed author and conservationist Tim Winton at an environmental advocacy event.

‘I was amazed by the humility of this great novelist, who has enchanted generations of Australian readers,’ says Jones, a four-time Archibald finalist who is also in this year’s Sulman Prize. ‘Last year, I watched his ABC documentary, Ningaloo Nyinggulu, about the fight to save Ningaloo Reef. It was beautiful and terrifying. In a speech, Tim said the lack of action on climate change hasn’t been challenged enough in the arts. I was stunned to discover a portrait of Tim had never been a finalist in the Archibald Prize. Then I found out why – he was a reluctant subject,’ says Jones.

‘When I flew to Perth for a sitting, the Great Barrier Reef was suffering its fifth mass bleaching event in eight years. Tim was warm and witty. We spoke about the historical relationship between printmaking and political activism. I approached his portrait as if it was a monotype, using thin brushstrokes and letting the paint bleed across the canvas like ink into paper. Dreamy yet direct.’

The Archibald Prize is Australia’s most celebrated and democratic – sometimes controversial – art award. Open to any artist living in Australia or New Zealand, since 1921 it has reflected the unique experiences of the people who live in this region, highlighting figures from all walks of life.

Laura’s portrait is on view at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from 8 June to 8 September 2024.

Image: Laura Jones, Tim Winton’, 2024, oil on linen, 198 x 152.5 cm