Tony Costa takes the 2019 Archibald Prize, toppling the favourite

Tony Costa has won the 2019 Archibald Prize with a painting of artist Lindy Lee, the first time an Asian-Australian sitter wins in its 98-year history.

10 May 2019

Gina Fairley

[This is archived content and may not display in the originally intended format.]

Visual Arts

Tony Costa has been announced winner of the 2019 Archibald Prize; photo ArtsHub

In a scramble of media, and onlooking gallery staff and trustees, Tony Costa has joined the alumni of Australia’s most high profile art prize.

He won the 2019 Archibald Prize with a portrait of former Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW) Trustee Lindy Lee, who was not at the announcement having just installed a major artwork in New York’s Chinatown.

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more

Join Now Login

Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina