The winner of this year’s Archibald Prize earned the title with a portrait of Eora/Sydney pop artist Montaigne, it was announced earlier this week.
Local artist Julia Gutman won the prestigious award, which comes with a monetary prize of $100,000. Her portrait of Montaigne, titled ‘Head In The Sky, Feet On The Ground’, was created using oil paints on canvas as well as “found textiles” and embroidery. With her win, Gutman became the 13th woman awarded the Archibald Prize, and one of its youngest winners (at age 29).
In a statement given to Michael Brand – a director at the Art Gallery of New South Wales – Gutman said: ‘I’m so elated and overwhelmed to have won. Shocked, dumbfounded, but very happy. It’s honestly completely surreal. I’m so grateful to be working at a time when young female voices are heard.
“So much of my practice is devoted to revisiting, critiquing and contending with the histories housed in institutions. It’s so affirming for that conversation to be recognised in such a public way.”
As for why she chose to base her piece on Montaigne, Gutman explained that she and the musician “have been friends for a few years”, and found that “there is a lot of alignment in our practices”.
She expounded on the sentiment: “We are both interested in creating our own forms and approaches rather than strictly adhering to any one tradition. Montaigne’s work defies genres, while [their] mercurial soprano has become an indelible part of the fabric of Australian music.”
In a statement of their own, Montaigne said it was “such an insane honour to be the Archibald Prize winning sitter”. They added: “I sure didn’t see it coming, not because I don’t believe in Julia’s incredible talent and warm heart, but because you just never think this stuff is going to happen to you. Thank you so much to Julia for seeing me as a worthy sitter for her beautiful vision!”
According to Brand, Gutman’s piece was one of 57 finalists for this year’s Archibald Prize – a shortlist that itself was culled from 949 entries. He said of the winning artwork: “Like many contemporary artists, Julia is interested in the expanded field of painting. In this remarkable tender portrait of a young musician who is making her way in a tough business, we see an intimacy and vulnerability that is truly compelling.
“I congratulate Julia on creating this magnificently worthy winner.”
Montaigne’s last release was their third studio album, ‘Making It!’, which arrived last September. In a four-star review, NME called it “delightfully abrasive” and wrote that its “technicolour futurism” makes it feel “less theatrical than [Montaigne’s] earlier work, but much more cinematic”. NME later slotted ‘Making It!’ at Number 19 in its list of the best Australian albums of 2022.