Richard Lewer wins 2026 Archibald Prize
Melbourne-based artist Richard Lewer has won the Archibald Prize 2026 and $100,000 for his portrait of Pitjantjatjara Elder, senior artist and ngangkari (traditional healer) Iluwanti Ken.
Lewer’s work was selected from 1034 entries for the Archibald Prize in 2026 and is one of 59 finalist works on display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
A portrait that speaks powerfully to presence and cultural responsibility, the work was painted by Lewer following time spent on Country with Ken in the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands of South Australia, where she lives and works.
A six-time Archibald finalist, Lewer said he was happy and proud to receive the phone call from Art Gallery of New South Wales director Maud Page informing him of his win.
‘I am really proud, both for Iluwanti and for myself. I feel deeply humbled to have won the Archibald Prize, and especially happy that this recognition brings a spotlight to Iluwanti, which was always my intention with this portrait. Iluwanti is the most beautiful woman, and it was a complete treat to spend time with her and to be able to paint her on Country. I hope this work recognises her role as a healer, artist and custodian of the knowledge she carries and so generously shares,’ said Lewer.
‘I have been a finalist many times and never expected to win, but that’s what makes this so exciting.’
Late last year, Lewer travelled to Amata in the APY Lands to spend time with Ken at her art centre, Tjala Arts, and work alongside her. Although the pair had known one another for years through shared exhibitions, being together on Country deepened Lewer’s understanding of the responsibilities Ken carries to kin, community and culture. Their conversations ranged from family and loss to the protection of fragile knowledge, reinforcing Lewer’s appreciation of the immense weight borne by Elders in maintaining continuity and care.
The portrait is rendered life-size, allowing Ken’s presence to meet the viewer directly. A yellow ochre ground evokes the heat, light and warmth of her Country, while her clothing reflects her love of bright colours and vitality. Flecks of paint on her arm acknowledge her as a working artist, suggesting she has momentarily stepped away from the studio.
‘Though small in stature, Ken carries what Lewer describes as a ‘quiet authority’, commanding space with calm attentiveness. Her own work, informed by the walawuru tjukurpa (story of the eagles), speaks of care, protection and resilience, particularly for women and children. These teachings guided Lewer’s approach, resulting in a portrait that honours not only an individual but the enduring role of Elders as watchers, teachers and protectors of culture.
Born in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1970, Lewer has lived and worked in Melbourne since 1996. He is a painter, draughtsman, printmaker, sculptor and video artist, whose work presents an unsparing vision of the human condition. He studied at the Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland and the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne. He has been a multiple time finalist in the Archibald (2026, 2025, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2017) and Sulman Prizes (2023 and 2019), and has been awarded the APW Collie Print Trust Fellowship (2020), Paul Guest Prize for Drawing (2020), Basil Sellers Art Prize (2016), Blake Prize (2014), National Works on Paper Drawing Award (2010) and Wallace Art Award (2008). He has exhibited his work extensively in Australia and New Zealand, and his work is represented in major public and private collections, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Established in 1921, the Archibald Prize is Australia’s most prestigious art prize and is awarded annually to the best portrait, ‘preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia’.
Speaking of the winning work, Art Gallery director Maud Page said: ‘Richard Lewer has a seemingly spontaneous and instinctual practice, but he has a masterful control of paint. He presents Iluwanti Ken as if she’s emerging out of the ochre, with no conventional perspective, yet her presence as both an artist, healer and matriarch is powerfully realised. Her eyes are particularly striking – her gaze is direct and conveys her strength and warmth,’ said Page.
Main Image: Winner Archibald Prize 2026, Richard Lewer Iluwanti Ken (detail), synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 198 x 198 cm © the artist