Clare Morgan
May 9, 2008
Surprising nobody, a portrait of Heath Ledger has won this year's People's Choice for the Archibald Prize.
The brooding portrait, by the Melbourne artist Vincent Fantauzzo, was the odds-on favourite to win the popular vote, which was announced this morning at the Art Gallery of NSW.
The painting, which was the runner up to Del Kathryn Barton's you are what is most beautiful about me for the Archibald Prize, has been drawing record crowds to the exhibition and become an unofficial shrine to the late actor.
Fantauzzo, 29, has received offers of hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy the painting, mostly from overseas, but has knocked them back to honour his promise to give the painting to Ledger's mother, Sally.
But the subject's mother surprised everybody with the announcement she had donated the work to the gallery.
Ledger sat for Fantauzzo weeks before he died of an accidental drug overdose in New York on January 22. The artist considered withdrawing the portrait from competition after Ledger's death, but was convinced by Sally Ledger to enter it.
Fantauzzo receives $2500 and a $1000 Myer gift card.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/05/08/1210131124168.html
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