Art Gallery of New South Wales

Richard Lewer commission unveiled with opening of Sydney Modern Project

The expansion of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney – titled the Sydney Modern Project – has now been officially launched with the gallery unveiling nine Australian and international artists that have been commissioned to create works as part of the build.

For this commission, Richard Lewer went behind the scenes to capture the stories and portraits of people involved in the design and construction of the Art Gallery’s new building. His multipanel painting and suite of drawings celebrate the labour and personalities of those who have helped build Sydney’s newest cultural and architectural landmark.

Ildiko Kovacs, Finalist in the 2015 Wynne Art Prize

Congratulations to Ildiko Kovacs, finalist in the 2015 Wynne Art Prize! The Wynne Prize is an annual award for the best landscape painting of Australian scenery in oils or watercolours, or for the best example of figure sculpture by Australian artists. Finalists are displayed in an exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from 18 July – 27 September 2015.

Image: Ildiko Kovacs, Sunlit, 2015, oil on plywood, 180 x 245 cm.

Ildiko Kovacs, Winner of the 2015 Bulgari Art Award

Congratulations to Ildiko Kovacs on winning the 2015 Bulgari Art Award!

Ildiko is the fourth winner of the Bulgari Art Award, one of the most prestigious art awards in Australia.

The $80,000 award includes the acquisition of one of Ildiko's works by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and a $30,000 residency in Italy.

The acquired work, Onda, is also the first acquisition of Ildiko's work by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

"Onda" is the Italian word for "wave"; Ildiko said of the work: "For me it’s a really important part of being at Bundeena, I love the ocean...The ocean has always been my lifeline...a lot of my work I guess is the rhythm of the wave, it’s my response to nature."

The Art Gallery of New South Wales' Head Curator Wayne Tunnicliffe said: "I have long admired the gestural brilliance [of Ildiko's work]..."Onda...exemplifies the artist's innate understanding of colour and line."

Onda is currently on display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Head on over to our Facebook to check out photos from the award Gala!

Image: Ildiko Kovacs, Onda, 2015, oil on plywood, 180 x 365 cm, collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.