Tim Storrier has been announced as the winner of the 2017 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, taking home $150,000 for his portrait The Lunar Savant (Portrait of McLean Edwards) 2017.
The announcement was made at an event at Juniper Hall in Paddington, Sydney this morning by Daniel Thomas AM. The prize was judged by Daniel Thomas AM, Emeritus Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia, Wendy Sharpe, one of Australia’s most awarded artists and Greta Moran, Director of the Moran Arts Foundation.
The judges also highlighted Dagmar Cyrulla’s I am Woman as highly commended.
Tim Storrier is a resident of Bowral, NSW and is one of Australia’s most respected and awarded artists. He was born in Sydney and attended the National Art School. In 1994 he was awarded the Order of Australia AM for his services to art and was an Archibald winner in 2012 . This is his first time as a finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize. His portrait of fellow artist McLean Edwards was selected from 30 finalists, with over 1130 artists entering the Portrait Prize in 2017. (McLean Edwards was also a 2017 finalist for his Self-Portrait). Tim Storrier’s work is included in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York and all major Australian art museums.
Daniel Thomas AM said: “We awarded the prize to Tim Storrier, a veteran artist who went outside his personal mythology and produced an affectionate, teasing, “friendship painting” of a wild fellow artist and titled it The Lunar Savant (Portrait of McLean Edwards) 2017”.
Wendy Sharpe said: “The Lunar Savant (Portrait of McLean Edwards) 2017 depicts Storrier’s friend, artist McLean Edwards wandering in a mysterious moonlit landscape. An arresting, intriguing image at once both disturbing and playful”.
Now in its 29th year, The Doug Moran National Portrait Prize is Australia’s richest art prize, with prize money of $180,000 including the $150,000 first prize. The DMNPP invites entries of original works from Australian artists, capturing Australians from all walks of life, whether a public figure or someone from their own circle of experience. Established in 1988, the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize is believed to be the world’s most valuable portrait prize. The Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize will take place in early 2018.
The Doug Moran National Portrait Prize Exhibition opens at 10am on Thursday 19 October at Juniper Hall, 250 Oxford Street, Paddington and runs until 17 December 2017. The exhibition is open Thursday to Sunday from 10am until 4pm.
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ABOUT THE MORAN ARTS FOUNDATION
The Moran Arts Foundation is a philanthropic, not-for-profit organisation whose objective is to support the arts in Australia through the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, the Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize, gallery exhibitions and free Moran School Photographic Workshops. Established by Doug and Greta Moran and family in 1988 in celebration of Australia’s bicentennial, the Moran Arts Foundation fosters portraiture skills and excellence in photography.
