Kindred spirit - Elisabeth Cummings, 2026, by Peter Wegner, oil on canvas, 101.9x150.2cm, framed
Congratulations to the King Street Gallery on William artists who have been selected for the 2026 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes at the Art Gallery of New South Wales: Peter Wegner, Tom Carment, Elisabeth Cummings and Lucy Culliton!
Congratulations to Peter, Tom, Lucy and Elisabeth!!
@peter_wegner @tomcarment @lucyculliton
& Elisabeth Cummings #ElisabethCummings #ElisabethCummingsOAM
‘The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes delight and surprise audiences every year with fresh presentations of contemporary Australian painting and sculpture.’
Enquiries via art@kingstreetgallery.com
Peter Wegner’s Artist Statement: Kindred spirit – Elisabeth Cummings, 2026 (above)
oil on canvas, 101.9 x 150.2cm, framed (Archibald)
Elisabeth Cummings is one of Australia’s most respected artists with a career spanning over 60 years. Known for her large abstract paintings and printmaking, she studied at the National Art School before spending a decade in Europe. She is a finalist in this year’s Wynne Prize.
‘I believe Elisabeth is a national treasure,’ says Peter Wegner.
‘I have known her for over 27 years. I first made contact because of my admiration of her work. In those days, you could find her phone number in the White Pages directory. I rang her and instantly found a kindred spirit. We stayed in touch for many years. I painted Elisabeth because she is an inspiration, both for her dedication to her extraordinary art and her mentorship of so many artists who have acknowledged her work through their own. When she sat for the portrait in her house, I wasn’t sure about the pattern on her blouse, but I accepted it as a challenge. In the end, it became an integral part of the painting.’
A seven-time finalist, Wegner won the Archibald Prize in 2021 with a portrait of artist Guy Warren.
Tom Carment’s Artist Statement: Self-portrait at 71, 2026 (above)
oil on Marine ply, 25 x 21cm, framed (Archibald)
‘At 71, I’m sometimes aware of a dark doorway marked “exit” at the edge of my vision. I’m no longer 25, yet I approach each week with enthusiasm, clutching an unachievable list of things I want to paint and write about. Every few years, “self-portrait” appears on this list, often when it’s raining and I can’t paint outside.’
So says Sydney artist and writer Tom Carment. This is his thirteenth time in the Archibald Prize and the third time he has appeared in the exhibition with a self-portrait. ‘This one was done in three sessions, from life, standing in front of a mirror in our small bathroom. I like the gentle side light that comes in from a narrow window in our lightwell….I waited until everyone had gone out and placed a sheet of plywood over the basin for my palette and brushes. I included some towels on the wall behind me, but painted them out during the second session, making the background a plainer aqua/grey, reminiscent of some Flemish portraits I like. Once I’d started, my interest in the visual effects of ageing became almost scientific.’
– Tom Carment, 2026
Tom Carment’s Artist Statement: Wind-bent tree near Corny Point, 2026 (above)
oil on Marine ply, 19 x 39cm, framed (Wynne)
‘I first glimpsed this tree as I was driving to the coast to paint. I’ve been on seven trips to Corny Point, a small town on the south-west tip of Yorke Peninsula, Narungga Country, in South Australia. I like to return to the same subject every couple of years, at different times of day. This was my third picture of the wind-bent tree, the first done in early afternoon light.
I crawled under a fence and squatted among dry clumps of grass. I don’t use an easel but lay my palette, solvent tins and brushes on the ground around me like a drum kit. I painted for two hours. When the wind picked up, I taped my panel into a cardboard box before too many insects and flecks of grass got stuck in the wet paint.’
– Tom Carment, 2026
Elisabeth Cummings’ Artist Statement: Arkaroola View, 2025 (above)
oil on canvas, 55x65cm, framed (Wynne)
I’m happy to have the opportunity to spend time in this land, to be in it, to move through it and to draw and paint in it. It’s good to spend time here, but it’s still just a glimpse. It’s an incredibly complex landscape – there is so much!
– Elisabeth Cummings, 2026
Lucy Culliton’s Artist Statement: Toolah, artist assistant and model, 2026 (above)
oil on canvas, 140x140cm, framed (Sulman). Sold.
‘This is Toolah. She is one of seven greyhounds (nine dogs in total, all rescued) who live with me at Bibbenluke in the Snowy Monaro region of NSW. This chair is Toolah’s favourite spot to sleep while I paint in the studio. I love how she camouflages herself into the upholstery of the chair. At the time, I was painting large Monaro grass paintings in a matching palette, so I had to include one.’
– Lucy Culliton, 2026
Thank you to everyone involved, judges, art couriers and handlers, press, the AGNSW installation team.
Exhibition Dates: 9 May – 16 August 2026. The winner is to be announced May 8, next Friday!
Location: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Naala Nura building, Lower level 2.