Yvette Coppersmith’s self-portrait wins the 2018 Archibald Prize

Of the 57 finalists, 41 are of sitters from the art world, either self-portraits, portraits of other artists, or portraits of figures like collectors or dealers.
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Yvette Coppersmith’s Self-portrait, after George Lambert (detail).

Ten years ago, Yvette Coppersmith was painting portraits of well known art world figures. Today she expressed her appreciation for the friendships and networks she’s made in the art world in a different way – in her speech accepting the $100,000 Archibald Prize for her Self-portrait, after George Lambert.

Her large-scale portrait, which also carries more than a hint of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (whom Coppersmith had originally hoped to paint) was the trustee judges’ unanimous choice for the 2018 prize, from a pool of almost 800 entries.

It was a fitting speech in an Archibald exhibition where, of the 57 finalists, 41 are of sitters from the art world, either self-portraits, portraits of other artists, or portraits of figures like collectors or dealers. Though prize curator Anne Ryan downplays the skew. ‘Artists painting self-portraits for the Archibald prize is not a new thing,’ she says. ‘For example, Henry Hanke won with a self-portrait in 1934, as did Normand Baker in 1937. One of the most infamous portraits – Dobell’s portrait of Joshua Smith in 1943 – was one artist painting another. Certainly no sitter is more available that oneself!’

Coppersmith’s portrait is a case in point. She tried Ardern first but when she wasn’t available, she chose to channel some of what she admired into a self-portrait instead.

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Jane O'Sullivan
About the Author
Jane O’Sullivan is an independent art writer based in Sydney. Her work has appeared in Vault, Art Guide, Ocula, Flash Art, Running Dog and the Australian Financial Review. She is also a former editor of Art Collector and Art Edit magazines.