Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2010

First published on 2 Feb 2010. Updated on 5 Apr 2011.

Sydney artist Craig Ruddy has won the 2010 Archibald People’s Choice Prize for his portrait of writer/director Warwick Thornton.

In 2004 Craig Ruddy was awarded both the Archibald Prize and the People’s Choice for Sydney and Melbourne exhibitions for his popular but contentious portrait of actor David Gulpilil.

This year his subject is Aboriginal writer/director Warwick Thornton. Thornton won the Camera d’Or for Best Feature Film at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival for Samson & Delilah.

Melbourne artist Sam Leach took out the 2010 Archibald Prize with a portrait of comedian Tim Minchin.

In a rare coup, Leach, 37, was also awarded the 2010 Wynne Prize for landscape painting or sculpture with his work Proposal for Landscaped Cosmos.

Selected from 849 entries, Leach's portrait of Minchin is a small photorealistic oil-and-resin work of the comedian standing barefoot.

The portrait was chosen for the $50,000 prize from a shortlist of five, selected by the board of trustees at the Art Gallery of NSW from the 34 Archibald finalists.

Making the shortlist with Leach were artists Kate Beynon (self-portrait), McLean Edwards (Tim Storrier), Nigel Milsom (Adam Cullen) and previous Archibald winner Craig Ruddy (Warwick Thornton).  

Leach caused a kerfuffle two years ago when his self-portrait dressed as Hitler made the Archibald final.

Leach's Wynne-winning landscape, also a small oil and canvas on wood, depicts a bushland scene in a romantic style.

The winner of the Sir John Sulman Prize (for subject/genre painting or mural) went to Michael Lindeman for Paintings, Prints & Wall Hangings.

The painting is a conceptual work portraying a column of newspaper classifieds advertising art for sale.

The Trustees' Watercolour Prize went to Viola Dominello for The Hawkesbury.