A portrait of one of Australia’s best-selling authors has won the 2024 Archibald Prize.
Artist Laura Jones took home the prestigious art prize, which invites artists to paint a portrait of a well-known Australian, for her artwork of Cloudstreet writer Tim Winton.
She was named the winner of the $100,000 prize following a unanimous decision in what she described as a “life-changing moment.”
Speaking to The Project on Friday, the four-time contest finalist said: ‘This morning I got the biggest shock of my life. My heart was beating out of my chest, it was crazy.’
Jones said she met novel and nonfiction author Winton at an environmental event and eventually convinced the reluctant writer to pose for her.
A portrait of one of Australia’s best-selling authors has won the 2024 Archibald Prize. Artist Laura Jones took home the art prize for her work of Cloudstreet writer Tim Winton.
Jones took home the $100,000 prize after meeting novel and nonfiction author Winton at an environmental event and eventually convincing the reluctant writer to pose for her.
The artist said the generous prize money will allow her to buy “many more canvases and support me as an artist” for much longer than she expected.
Winton is one of Australia’s best-selling and most celebrated authors and has produced works of fiction, non-fiction and children’s books, as well as screenplays.
He is known for his works Breath, The Turning and Blueback, although his writings have also been adapted into plays, television series and films.
Winton also won the Miles Franklin Award four times and was named a Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia in 1997.
The win comes after another finalist, Caroline Zilinsky, divided Jacob Elordi fans after the Hollywood heartthrob shared her shortlisted portrait of him on social media.
The artist also stated that the generous prize money will allow her to buy “many more canvases and support me as an artist” for much longer than she expected.
The Brisbane-born actor, 26, posted a photo of the oil painting, which shows a shirtless Jacob flexing his muscles in a pair of jeans, on Instagram on Wednesday.
The abstract piece is a unique interpretation of Jacob with his disproportionate body, long neck, thin arms and very slender stomach.
Many of Elordi’s followers quickly took to the comments section to share their thoughts on the artwork.
‘Bruh, what the fuck is this?’ one confused follower asked, while a second person added: “I don’t know what this is but I love you.”
Meanwhile, other fans loved the work and were quick to praise Zilinsky for brilliantly portraying Jacob.
It comes after Jacob Elordi divided his fans after sharing an abstract portrait of himself by fellow finalist and Sydney artist Caroline Zilinsky.
The Brisbane-born actor, 26, posted a photo of the oil painting on Instagram on Wednesday, showing a shirtless Jacob flexing his muscles in a pair of jeans.
‘Incredibly detailed and revealing work of art that has a well-deserved place in the esteemed Archibald Prize!’ one person gushed, while a second added: “It’s amazing.”
Zilinsky also shared a photo of a shirtless Jacob sitting for the portrait in his trailer while filming on set.
“The theme and title of the painting arise from Albert Camus’ ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’, which Jacob was reading at the time of our session,” Zilinsky told Daily Mail Australia.
‘My only interest was to see the man who was sitting in front of me and he in turn to see himself at work. Sometimes it is necessary to transcend reality to achieve it.’
The modernist painter has drawn many abstract portraits of famous people throughout her career, including Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.