Portia Geach Memorial Award
Encyclopedia
The Portia Geach Memorial Award is an annual award for Australian female
portraitists. The Award was established in 1961 as a testamentary trust by Florence Kate Geach, sister of Australian painter Portia Geach, with an initial endowment of 12,000 Australian pound
s. The first prize given under the aegis of the Award was made in 1965, comprising a £1,000 prize to Jean Appleton for a self-portrait
. In 2010, the Award was worth A$18,000.
The Award aims to support female artists working in the field of portraits painted from life, and is given based upon the field entries submitted to the Award. Under the terms of the initial endowment, the Award is designed to recognise:
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
portraitists. The Award was established in 1961 as a testamentary trust by Florence Kate Geach, sister of Australian painter Portia Geach, with an initial endowment of 12,000 Australian pound
Australian pound
The pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...
s. The first prize given under the aegis of the Award was made in 1965, comprising a £1,000 prize to Jean Appleton for a self-portrait
Self-portrait
A self-portrait is a representation of an artist, drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by the artist. Although self-portraits have been made by artists since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid 15th century that artists can be frequently identified depicting...
. In 2010, the Award was worth A$18,000.
The Award aims to support female artists working in the field of portraits painted from life, and is given based upon the field entries submitted to the Award. Under the terms of the initial endowment, the Award is designed to recognise:
... the best portraits painted from life of some man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters or the Sciences by any female artist resident in Australia during the 12 months preceding the date fixed by the Trustees for sending in the pictures and who was born in Australia or was British born or has become a naturalised Australian and whose place of domicile is Australia.
Previous winners
Past winners of the award have been:- 2011 – Kate Stevens, Indian Dream – image
- 2010 – Prudence Flint, Scrambled egg – image
- 2009 – Christine Hiller, The Old Painter – image
- 2008 – Jude Rae, Self Portrait 2008 (The Year My Husband Left) – image
- 2007 – Maryanne Coutts, Melbourne
- 2006 – Lucy Culliton, Self with Friends – image
- 2005 – Jude Rae, Large Interior (Micky Allan) – image
- 2004 – Nerrisa Lea, The Sheik & Me, Self Portrait with Imagined Portrait of Chad Morgan after Frida Kahlo – image
- 2003 – Wendy SharpeWendy SharpeWendy Sharpe is an Australian artist. Winner of the Sulman Prize in 1986 with Black Sun - Morning and Night and the Archibald Prize in 1996 with Self Portrait - as Diana of Erskineville, she has entered the Archibald Prize at least 6 times and been hung at least 3 times...
, Self Portrait with Tea Cup and Burning Paintings - 2002 – Vicki Varvaressos, Self Portrait with Painting
- 2001 – Mary Moore, At Home
- 2000 – Nancy BorlaseNancy BorlaseNancy Wilmot Borlase AM was a New Zealand-born Australian artist, well-known for her landscape-based abstract paintings and portraits, and as a critic and commentator...
, The Sisters: Marie and Vida Breckenridge – image (NPG) - 1999 – Kim Spooner, Social Currency (Eva Cox) – image (NPG)
- 1998 – Anita Rezevska, Self Portrait – Woman from Riga
- 1997 – Maria Isabel, Cruz Maria
- 1996 – Su Baker, Self Portrait at Six Paces
- 1995 – Wendy SharpeWendy SharpeWendy Sharpe is an Australian artist. Winner of the Sulman Prize in 1986 with Black Sun - Morning and Night and the Archibald Prize in 1996 with Self Portrait - as Diana of Erskineville, she has entered the Archibald Prize at least 6 times and been hung at least 3 times...
, Self Portrait with Students, After Adelaide Labille-Guiard - 1994 – Jenny SagesJenny SagesJenny Sages is an Australian artist born 1933 in Shanghai, China, who arrived in Australia in 1948. After being expelled from East Sydney Tech, Jenny moved to New York to study at Franklin School of Art...
, Ann Thomson - 1993 – Aileen Rogers, Suzanne Mourot
- 1992 – Jenny SagesJenny SagesJenny Sages is an Australian artist born 1933 in Shanghai, China, who arrived in Australia in 1948. After being expelled from East Sydney Tech, Jenny moved to New York to study at Franklin School of Art...
, Nancy Borlase and Laurie Short – image (NPG) - 1991 – Rosemary Valadon, Frances Joseph
- 1990 – Jenny Watson, Self Portrait
- 1989 – Jenny Sands, Alex Karpin
- 1988 – Margaret Ackland, Shay Docking
- 1987 – Christine Hiller, Self Portrait
- 1986 – Christine Hiller, Self Portrait
- 1985 – Gwen Eichler, Dianne Fogwell
- 1984 – Margaret Woodward, Madeleine Halliday
- 1983 – Margaret Woodward, Self Portrait
- 1982 – Brenda Humble, Virginia Hall
- 1981 – Susan Howard, Jenny Kee
- 1980 – Judy Pennefather, Venie Schulenberg
- 1979 – Ivy Shore, Kondelea (Della) Elliott
- 1978 – Dora Toovey, Senator Neville Bonner
- 1977 – Ena Joyce, George Lawrence
- 1976 – Jocelyn Maughan, George Bouckley
- 1975 – Mary Brady, Elizabeth Rooney
- 1974 – Lesley H Pockley, Hugh Paget
- 1973 – Sylvia Tiarks, Self Portrait
- 1972 – Elizabeth Cummings, Jean Appleton
- 1971 – Mary Brady, Larry Sitsky – image (NPG)
- 1970 – Dora Toovey, Self Portrait in Landscape
- 1969 – Vaike Liibus, Guy Warren
- 1968 – Bettina McMahon, Self Portrait
- 1967 – Jo Caddy, Laurence Davis
- 1966 – Mary Brady, Grahame Egor
- 1965 – Jean Appleton, Self Portrait