Novocastrians can enjoy a cheeky art show from next week when an exhibition featuring the finalists in the Bald Archy art prize rolls into the city.
The Bald Archy Prize is in its 27th year, and remains as irreverent as ever. The competition's founder, Peter Batey, who died in 2019, offered artists the opportunity to to create portrait paintings of humour, dark satire, light comedy or caricature.
Two of the 22 finalist images this year were created by Maitland-based artist James Brennan, who has won the Bald Archy prize four times.
The works by Brennan, whose main occupation is working on the NSW railways, depict Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (Rabbitoh Man) and King Charles with Dame Edna (Happy Little Vegemites).
"It's good to stir the pot a bit," Mr Brennan said of his Bald Archy entries.
Among the portrait faces in this year's exhibition are Scott Morrison, George Pell, Ash Barty, Rupert Murdoch, Darryl Maguire, Andrew Symonds, Maggie Beer, Olivia Newton-John, Wayne Bennett, Gina Rinehart, Peter Dutton and Costa Georgiadis.
The Bald Archy exhibit will be available for general viewing from 10am to 4pm at Rydges Newcastle from Friday, October 13, until November 12.
The winning portrait was of Bald Archy Prize founder Peter Batey by artist Marty Steel. The $10,000 prize was provided by hotel entrepreneur Jerry Schwartz, who owns Rydges Newcastle as well as other hotels and tourism venues across the Hunter Valley.
"Hotels - like art - need to change with the times. Gone are the days when hotel lobbies were like mausoleums, all marble and empty," Schwartz said. "We want to bring the people and life back into hotels, make them energetic public spaces, part of the community, and this exhibition does exactly that.
"There has always been strong representation from Hunter Valley artists in the competition, so it is great to be able to bring the exhibition to the Rydges Newcastle for the public to enjoy."
