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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Lifestyle
Guardian staff and wires

Archibald prize 2026: portrait of Jewish leader after Bondi terror attack wins people’s choice award

Michael Zavros’s painting Alex with his tefillin in the sea, depicting Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin
Michael Zavros’s painting Alex with his tefillin in the sea, depicting Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin. The painting has won the 2026 people’s choice award at the Archibalds. Photograph: Jenni Carter

An artist’s portrayal of a Jewish leader produced just weeks after the Bondi massacre has won the Archibald people’s choice category.

Michael Zavros won the $5,000 prize for his portrait of Alex Ryvchin, the co-head of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, who Zavros called an “unmistakably and unashamedly Jewish” leader.

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