Tempe Manning, Self-portrait, 1939. Oil on canvas, 76 x 60.5cm. Courtesy: the estate of the artist and HOTA Gallery, Surfers Paradise.

In 2021, the Art Gallery of New South Wales celebrated the 100th birthday of Australia’s oldest and most-loved portrait award, the Archibald Prize.

The landmark exhibition explores the rich history of the Archibald Prize, unearthing captivating stories in the selection of works. It reflects not just how artistic styles and approaches to portraiture have changed over time but, importantly, the changing face of our nation.

Archie 100 delves into the controversies and the commonplace, the triumphant and the thwarted, and honours the artists who’ve made the Archibald Prize the most sought-after accolade in Australian art today.

Resulting from many years of research of lost portraits, Archie 100 includes paintings from the Art Gallery of New South Wales collection as well as works from libraries, galleries and museums across Australia and New Zealand, and private Australian and international collections – some that haven’t been seen since first being exhibited in the Archibald.