The Adam Portraiture Award is a biennial competition for painted portraits of New Zealanders, by New Zealanders and presents a breadth of responses to identity and representation.
This year, our judges are Felicity Milburn, lead Curator at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, and Karl Maughan, one of New Zealand’s most recognisable artists.
This year, 37 finalists were chosen from 451 overall entries. The finalists’ exhibition was on display at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata from 23 May to 11 August.
A selection of artworks will then tour to multiple venues around the country in late 2024 and early 2025. View Touring Exhibitions for more details.
The exhibition catalogue is available for purchase from the Gallery Shop.
Winner
Maryanne Shearman
Tuhi-Ao
oil on canvas
2024
“Tuhi-Ao Bailey is one of Aotearoa’s leading climate activists, an unwavering voice for kaitiakitanga. She has always struck me as a person living her kaupapa, authentic to a fault. I initially planned on capturing her characteristic solemn expression; I hoped her mournful eyes would disrupt us, but in the end she and I decided on this pose - a full smile mid-kōrero, and a gesture which catches the light. She is standing in the Parihaka food-forest, next to the awa Waitotoroa. Ko ia te whenua, ko te whenua ko ia.”
“We saw much more than just exceptional realism in this striking work; it’s a brilliant piece of painting. The artist has captured the subject’s face and smile in a way that makes her alive with joy, but also gives a strong sense of her character and life beyond this moment. The light plays across her face, her hand points to us and welcomes us in with a gesture that is dignified and generous. We enjoyed the dewy leaves at the front of the painting, and the spectacular skill that is apparent in the treatment of the quilted jacket and the soft cotton top beneath. But it was the artist’s combination of accuracy with looseness that lifted the work for us. The bush in the background is softly, almost enigmatically rendered in contrast to the foreground, so it doesn’t distract or detract from our connection with the subject. Occasional flourishes of brushwork in the plants around the edges add depth and movement to the composition. The artist has succeeded in capturing an authentic and layered sense of the subject’s character and also her sense of openness and fun. Together, these elements brought us back to all the things that painting can be.”
Runner-Up
Hazel Rae
Lindsey's Garden
oil on canvas
2023
“Lindsey’s Garden is a full-length portrait of my Nana in her garden, accompanied by her dog, Tilley. At this moment, her garden is the stage as she mischievously reaches for a pear, reenacting the child version of herself sneaking fruit. The story goes that in her youth, she tamed the watchdogs belonging to the nearby orchardist in Alexandra so that she and her friends could steal cherries. While the cherries of her youth may have withered, her playful spirit endures.”
“This work shows a clever understanding of composition, drawing our eyes into and around it in a way that is both skilful and rewarding. The rendering of the leaves, fruit and flowers is remarkable and we loved how the subject herself becomes part of the garden. There’s real personality in her face and the cradling of the fruit brings warmth and humour, a sense of her connection to both the garden and her memories. It’s a very satisfying painting to experience as the artist leads you from the face, to the hand, down through the fruit and eventually to the surprise of the dog, painted more softly in the shadows underneath. The artist’s decision to use a full-length format increases connection to the figure; we encounter her as though in life, completely at home in her environment.”
Third Prize (Special Judges’ Prize)
Clark Roworth
Me and Lady P
oil
2024
”I set out to paint James Graves in all his glory in the largest oil painting I've ever done. I wanted to capture him in his element where he thrives. When we set up to take the portrait in his walk-in wardrobe he was going through his extensive collection of clothes and we both thought capturing him in the wardrobe itself was perfect. I made the frame myself to resemble the sunglasses he's wearing in the painting.”
“There’s an undeniable sense of attitude to this work that reflects the charisma of the subject, who is depicted in his own space, being exactly who he is. From the hair, to the glasses, to the toy lion, every element offers us insight into this person. The pose is unapologetic, revealing strength and also vulnerability in the cradling arms and tightly gripping hands. In addition to all these elements, the technical accomplishment in this portrait is striking. There’s a lovely balancing and juxtaposition between the tension held in the figure and the looseness of the drapery behind. The looser treatment of his hair gives a welcome sense of movement. In this painting’s spirit of ‘more is more’, we were moved to create an additional one-off judges’ prize in order to bring this unforgettable work into the mix.”
Highly Commended
Peter Bujdoso
Sam and Ben
ink wash
2024
David Jones
Study of Esther by the fig tree
oil on linen panel
2024
James Wakelin
Uekaha
oil on canvas
2024
Tyler Wray
Ngakuru
oil on canvas
2024
People’s Choice Award
Jasmine Middlebrook
Golden Sun Up
oil on canvas
2024
Over 3,500 votes were cast by visitors to the exhibition.
Adam Portraiture Award on arTVox (Parliament TV)
Our friends at the Urban Art Foundation have produced a fantastic program on the Adam Award exhibition, which will screen on Parliament TV’s arTVox (Freeview channel 31, Sky channel 86) for the next few months, while parliament is not sitting. The presentation features a slideshow of each finalist's artwork, with judges Felicity Milburn and Karl Maughan commenting on selected portraits.