The nation’s most prestigious art prize will be on show for 71 days in Geelong next year.
Geelong Gallery will host the Archibald Prize 2025 from August 30 to November 9 next year, the first tour venue for the exhibition after its initial showing at the Art Gallery of NSW from May to August.
Australia’s best-known portraiture competition, the Archibald Prize was first held in 1921 at the bequest of its namesake, Geelong-born journalist and entrepreneur JF Archibald.
While the prize was long a bastion of conservatism, it has more recently been characterised by works that push boundaries and provoke both thought and conversation.
Director and chief executive Jason Smith said he was delighted to present the Archibald Prize 2025 to Victorian audiences and continue the gallery’s relationship with the prestigious exhibition.
“Geelong Gallery has a proud history of hosting the Archibald Prize in 2017 and 2018, and the centenary exhibition Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize in 2021,” Mr Smith said.
“In our 2018 presentation of the prize, we attracted over 75,000 visitors over 58 days, and with an extended presentation of 71 days in 2025, we anticipate welcoming even greater audience numbers to Geelong to experience this iconic celebration of portraiture.
“The 2025 exhibition promises to build on Geelong Gallery’s legacy of presenting engaging and significant exhibitions that connect with audiences from across the region and beyond, showcasing the breadth of contemporary artistic practice in Australia, and delivering significant cultural and economic benefit to our community.”
