Portia Geach Memorial Award 2009

First awarded in 1965, The Portia Geach Memorial Award was established by Florence Kate Geach in memory of her sister, artist Portia Geach. As per the direction of the will, the Award is annually presented to an Australian female artist for the best portrait painted from life of a man or woman distinguished in art, letters or the sciences. Geach was widely acclaimed as a leading artist and was a frequent commentator in the national media – making her an iconic figure in the Australian arts community. The Portia Geach Memorial Award is awarded by The Trust Company as trustee, to the entry with the highest artistic merit.

From a submission of 328 works the winner of the Portia Geach Memorial Award 2009 was Christine Hiller, with her portrait The Old Painter. 

FINALISTS

Deborah Angus  – Roscoe (ian Ross)

Louisa Antico – That special Place: self portrait

Deborah Bennett – Self portrait

Gillian Bennett – Professor Max Bennett AO

Danelle Bergstrom – Sun Music II

Jo Bertini – Nicholas, writing the desert

Carole Best – Selbstbildnis Mit Juden Eucalyptus (Self Portrait with young eucalyptus) (After Egon Schiele)

Yvonne Boag-  Donna

Joanna Braithwaite – Walk the Walk

Angela Brennan – Self Portrait: Mitochondrial Connection

Agnes Bruck – Dreaming of Neo

Annabel Butler  – Elisabeth at home

Filippa Buttitta – Turbulent Waters (Portrait of Dawn Fraser)

Ann Cape – Dealing with Diaster

Ann Cape – Winter Morning with Lucy

Sophie Cape – Self Portrait

Sara Chapman – Self Portrait

Cathyann Coady – Three Generations

Grace Costanzo-  Split

Leeanne Crisp – I live in the facial expression of the other, as I feel her living in mine (Adapted from Merleau-Ponty) Portrait of Julie Peterson

Candyss Crosby – Gold dust womam

Amanda Davies- Double self portrait

Sinead Davies – If Only

Bridget Dolan – The Boys and I

Melissa Egan -Self portrait discovering my heritage
Emily Fitzgerald – Self Portrait

Prudence Flint – Fried Egg

Margaret Hadfield – Welcome to Country: Matilda House

Trudi Harley – Self portrait in Convex Surface

Kristin Headlam – Catherine Deveny laughing

Christine Hiller –  The Old Painter

Janne Kearney – Self Portrait by Numbers

Dale Kentwell – Telopea speciosissima  Mum had been severely reprimanded by the boys’ soccer coach

Myriam Kin-Yee Colin, husband

Rebecca Lavis  – Self portraits: Return to boat harbour

Carolyn McKay – Bruce Spence

Lydia Miller Nicky: Woman on a mission

Ann Morton – Tamara in her element

Linda O’Toole – Ambre Hammond

Melati Pandji-  Mandala of life

Sally Robinson – Self Portrait # 4

Kim Shannon – Cap

Wendy Sharpe – Self Portrait on the Roof in Florence, with Bernard Ollis

Kate Stevens – Self with sidekick

Ruth Stone – Roland ascending

Clare Thackway – Lay with pigs you smell like them

Melanie Thewlis – Self portrait at different scales of magnification

Alexandra Thorby  – Years Later

Pam Tippett – Brass Jug: Self portrait

Raffaella Torresan-  Bruce Dawe, Poet at home

Lauren Wilhelm – Me, Stripped back and justifiably anxious

 

Featured image: Christine Hiller The Old Painter, 2009.

Past Winners of the Portia Geach Memorial Award

2008 – Jude Rae, Self Portrait 2008 (The Year My Husband Left)

2007 – Maryanne Coutts, Melbourne

2006 – Lucy Culliton, Self with Friends

2005 – Jude Rae, Large Interior (Micky Allan)

2004 – Nerissa Lea, The Sheik & Me, Self Portrait with Imagined Portrait of Chad Morgan after Frida Kahlo

2003 – Wendy Sharpe, Self Portrait with Tea Cup and Burning Paintings

2002 – Vicki Varvaressos, Self Portrait with Painting

2001 – Mary Moore, At Home

2000 – Nancy Borlase, The Sisters: Marie and Vida Breckenridge

1999 – Kim Spooner, Social Currency (Eva Cox)

1998 – Anita Rezevska, Self Portrait – Woman from Riga

1997 – Maria Isabel, Cruz Maria

1996 – Su Baker, Self Portrait at Six Paces

1995 – Wendy Sharpe, Self Portrait with Students, After Adelaide Labille-Guiard

1994 – Jenny Sages, Ann Thomson

1993 – Aileen Rogers, Suzanne Mourot

1992 – Jenny Sages,Nancy Borlase and Laurie Short

1991 – Rosemary Valadon, Frances Joseph

1990 – Jenny Watson, Self Portrait

1989 – Jenny Sands, Alex Karpin

1988 – Margaret Ackland, Shay Docking

1987 – Christine Hiller, Self Portrait

1986 – Christine Hiller, Self Portrait

1985 – Gwen Eichler, Dianne Fogwell

1984 – Margaret Woodward, Madeleine Halliday

1983 – Margaret Woodward, Self Portrait

1982 – Brenda Humble, Virginia Hall

1981 – Susan Howard, Jenny Kee

1980 – Judy Pennefather, Venie Schulenberg

1979 – Ivy Shore, Kondelea (Della) Elliott

1978 – Dora Toovey, Senator Neville Bonner

1977 – Ena Joyce, George Lawrence

1976 – Jocelyn Maughan, George Bouckley

1975 – Mary Brady, Elizabeth Rooney

1974 – Lesley H Pockley, Hugh Paget

1973 – Sylvia Tiarks, Self Portrait

1972 – Elisabeth Cummings, Jean Appleton

1971 – Mary Brady, Larry Sitsky

1970 – Dora Toovey, Self Portrait in Landscape

1969 – Vaike Liibus, Guy Warren

1968 – Bettina McMahon, Self Portrait

1967 – Jo Caddy, Laurence Davis

1966 – Mary Brady, Grahame Edgar

1965 – Jean Appleton, Self Portrait