Archibald Prize 2025: Brisbane artist Julie Fragar wins for portrait of ‘dear friend’ Justene Williams

Brisbane-based artist Julie Fragar has won the Archibald Prize, one of the most prestigious art accolades in Australia.

Fragar’s portrait of artist Justene Williams, titled Flagship Mother Multiverse, was chosen unanimously this morning by the trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and announced at lunchtime.

She is the third woman in a row to win the Archibald, following Julia Gutman in 2023 and Laura Jones in 2024.

The prize money is $100,000 and Fragar was selected from a field of 904 entries and 57 finalists. She has been a finalist three times previously.

Fragar said she chose to paint Williams “for three reasons, she’s a dear friend, (is) a great artist and to capture her other worldliness”. The work was painted in grayscale, and depicts Williams as floating among the stars.

“You work your whole career imagining this might happen one day,” Fragar added. “Thinking back to myself as a 17-year-old showing up at the Sydney College of the Arts, a kid from country New South Wales, it’s incredible to think I have won the Archibald Prize.

“To be the winner of the Archibald Prize is a point of validation. It means so much to have the respect of my colleagues at the Art Gallery. It doesn’t get better than that.”

Art Gallery director Maud Page said of Fragar’s work, “‘Here are two of Australia’s great artists in conversation about what matters most to them. Julie Fragar has a sumptuous ability to transcend reality and depict her subjects technically but also psychologically.

“Justene Williams is a larger-than-life character, a performer – cacophonous and joyous. In this work, she is surrounded by her own artworks and, most important of all, her daughter Honore as a tiny figure atop a sculpture. It speaks to me as a powerful rendition of the juggle some of us perform as mothers and professionals.”

This year’s finalists have included portraits of actors Nicole Kidman and Felix Cameron, comedian Aaron Chen, former Australian of the Year winner Grace Tame, and radio personality Jackie Henderson.

One finalist, Mathew Calandra, painted a self-portrait of himself as Freddy Kreuger, the villainous character from Nightmare on Elm Street.

The Archibald, established in 1921, awards portraits and previous winners have included Vincent Namatjira, Del Kathryn Barton, Tim Storrier, Ben Quilty, John Olsen and Brett Whiteley.

The $50,000 Wynne Prize for landscape painting or sculpture, was awarded to Jude Rae for the oil-on-linen work Pre-dawn sky over Port Botany container terminal.

The $40,000 Sulman Prize for genre painting went to Katoomba-based artist Gene A’Hern for Sky painting, beating a record field of 732 entries.

Maud Page, who was announced in March as the new director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, congratulated all of the artists who entered the 2025 awards.

For the first time in 2025, women artists made up the majority of finalists in each of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize competitions.

Earlier in May, the $3000 Packing Room Prize selected by the gallery’s art handling staff went to Abdul Abdullah for a portrait of his friend Jason Phu.

The finalists for all three prizes will be on show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from Saturday until August 17, before touring Victoria and NSW.

- With AAP