A portrait of the comedian Cal Wilson by the Cairns artist Andrea Huelin has won the packing room prize, a subcategory of the prestigious Archibald prize for portraiture.
Clown jewels, featuring the New Zealand-born comedian in an elaborate headdress and purple silk, collected the $3,000 prize, which is now in its 32nd year. The packing room gong was previously decided by the Art Gallery of New South Wales’s former head packer Brett Cuthbertson. For the first time, this year’s winner was chosen by three gallery staff, Timothy Dale, Monica Rudhar and Alexis Wildman.
