A REGULAR entrant in the Swan Hill National Print and Drawing Awards has won the top gong in this year’s Archibald.
In the national portrait competition’s 100th year, painter, sculptor and draughtsman Peter Wegner has won the award for his portrait of centenarian Guy Warren AM.
An exhibition by Wegner, titled Another Thousand Years – 10 Centenarian Drawings, was displayed at Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery in 2019, which included drawings of Swan Hill’s Myrtle Hooper and Alice Eastwood, both now sadly deceased.
Wegner has previously featured in several solo exhibitions in Swan Hill in the 1980s and 1990s.
Gallery director Ian Tully told The Guardian Wegner’s Archibald win was a “wonderful result” and “just so deserving”.
“Peter is a very fine portraitist and painter,” Mr Tully said.
“He loves the medium of paint – not to say he doesn’t love the medium of drawing – but he’s a very, very fine draughtsman as well.
“He’s a painter’s painter, so it was well deserved.
“As we’ve heard on the radio and television, he’s been a six-time finalist, so that gives an indication of the calibre of the work.”
Mr Tully said Warren in his 101th year – the subject of Wegner’s work – was articulate and still practised his craft every day.
“Warren is just a wonderful character, who is certainly a highly distinguished artist in Australia as well.”Mr Tully said Wegner also had been a regular finalist in the gallery’s National Print and Drawing Awards.
He has spent hundreds of hours drawing portraits of centenarians, with each print created using pencil and beeswax on paper.
Mr Wegner was inspired to create 100 images of centenarians after drawing a sketch of his Aunty Rita, when she was 100 years old.
For his Archibald submission, Wegner painted Warren’s portrait with oil on canvas.
Warren turned 100 in April, which also happened to be 100 years since the Archibald Prize was first awarded.
“This is not why I painted Guy, but the coincidence is nicely timed,” Wegner said.
COVID-19 restrictions pending, Mr Tully said Mr Wegner was set to host a workshop at Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery on July 10.
Each year, the Archibald finalists’ works are exhibited in regional areas, which this year kicks off in October, and Mr Tully said he would certainly like to see the exhibits showcased in Swan Hill.
“Perhaps one for the new building (the Our Place development, which includes a new gallery space) when we have the capacity to take on larger exhibitions,” he Tully said.*breakout*
Wegner’s work, Room 19, using pencil and beeswax on paper, is part of Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery’s permanent collection.
Works by other 2021 Archibald finalists also in the gallery’s collection are by Euan Macleod, Graeme Drendel, Dagmar Cyrulla and Matthew Clarke.
Also in the gallery’s permanent collection are works by previous Archibald winners Clifton Pugh, Judy Cassab, Ray Crooke, Keith Looby, Euan Macleod, Adam Cullen and John Olsen.
