The Australian Women's Weekly Portrait Prize for 1955

Australian Itinerary 1955-56 The National Art Gallery of New South Wales Director: Mr. Hal Missingham The National Gallery of Victoria Director: Mr. Daryl Lindsay The National Gallery of South Australia Director: Mr. Robert Campbell The Queensland National Art Gallery Director: Mr. Robert Haines Art Gallery of Western Australia Director: Mr. Laurence Thomas The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Director: Dr. W. Bryden The Artists' Society of Canberra Gallery President: Mr. G. M. Duncan Acknowledgments The Australian Women's Weekly wishes to acknowledge with thanks the assist- ance given by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. R. G. Menzies, in graciously opening its 1955 Portrait Prize Exhibition in Sydney. We also wish to acknowledge with thanks the assistance given by the Presidents and Boards of Trustees of the National Art Gallery of New South Wales, the National Gallery of Victoria, the National Gallery of South Australia, the Queensland National Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, and The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. In particular we wish to thank the President and Board of Trustees and Director of the National Art Gallery of New South Wales to whom the initial approach for help in this venture was made, and the staff of the Gallery who have given us so much valuable assistance. We are indebted to the Directors of each of the State Galleries in the Common- wealth, who also acted as judges of our Portrait Prize, and members of the Diplomatic Corps in Australia who helped us to publicise the competition overseas. FOREWORD This exhibition is the tangible expres- sion of our belief in Australian artists. The Australian Women's Weekly Portrait Prize was inaugurated this year because we felt that such an award would do much to encourage artists and raise the standard of portrait painting in Australia. The growing interest and enthusiasm for art in Australia today is evidenced by the increasing numbers of people who attend exhibitions in art galleries in all States. We believe this interest can be fur- ther encouraged and promoted by a paper which goes into almost every home in the Commonwealth and is read by the vast mass of Australians. Widespread popular interest and support, which all art forms need if they are to survive, can be more effectively stimulated by a general newspaper than by small specialist art publications. We also feel we can do much to raise the standards of painting in the Commonwealth by providing a financial reward commensurate with the talent and creative genius which un- doubtedly exists among Australian artists. The response to our 1955 Portrait Prize has been so great that we are encouraged in our hopes of making some vital contribution to the cultural life of Australia. However, we know that while awards such as ours do much to stimulate general interest in painting and to reward painters, they are not the final answer to the problems facing all artists who attempt to live by their work. Like other men, artists need a steady income. We hope that one direct result of our Portrait Prize Exhibition this year will be a flow of commissions for artists from business houses and private citizens. The Australian Women's Weekly