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Adam Cullen (1965-2012), painter, studied art in Sydney from 1986 to 1999, when he obtained his master’s degree in fine arts from the University of New South Wales. He held his first solo exhibition in 1993, and exhibited annually from then until his death. Commonly working in house paints, he specialised in repulsively and brutally amusing depictions of bestial men, flabby, bleeding women and dismembered animals, managing simultaneously to appear to sneer at, and identify unflinchingly with, the human condition. Thirteen times an Archibald finalist between 1997 and 2012, he won the Prize for his Portrait of David Wenham, painted in ‘three or four hours’ in 2000. In 2002 he represented Australia at the Sao Paulo Biennale, conjured up the book Hooky the Cripple with his friend Mark ‘Chopper’ Read and was highly commended in the Doug Moran Prize. His works are held by the Australian National Gallery and the State galleries of New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia. The National Portrait Gallery has his painting of stage and opera director Neil Armfield.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Dr Gene Sherman AM and Patrick Corrigan AM 2016
© Gary Grealy
Patrick Corrigan AM (13 portraits supported)
Dr Gene Sherman AM (6 portraits supported)
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves: who we read, who we watch, who we listen to, who we cheer for, who we aspire to be, and who we'll never forget. The Companion is available to buy online and in the Portrait Gallery Store.
Eye to Eye is a summer Portrait Gallery Collection remix arranged by degree of eye contact – from turned away with eyes closed all the way through to right-back-at-you – as we explore artists’ and subjects’ choices around the direction of the gaze.
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