Somehow I didn't put two & two together & realise the portrait was in Sydney - otherwise I would have tried to have gone, being here too. But my baby is due anyday now so I dare not stray too far from home alas. Maybe I can make it later with the new arrival if the exhibition is on for a while.
The Archibald runs until May 18, nic, so you've got plenty of time. It is held at this time every year at the Art Gallery of NSW, Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney.
Not sure where that is? Follow these simple directions:
Get yourself to Parliament House in Macquarie Street. Not far along Macquarie Street from Parliament House is Sydney Hospital (look for the disgusting fountain/statue of the dribbling pig - yetch!). Walk through the central courtyard of Sydney Hospital (accessible from Macquarie Street), all the way through to a large open green area with big old fig trees on its perimeter. That's the Domain. Walk eastward, straight across the Domain, until you see a substantial neo-classical building through the trees. That's the Art Gallery of NSW.
Alternatively, follow the directions in my photo-essay:
Park at the Goulburn Street Parking Station ($6 per hour), walk up Elizabeth Street, cross Hyde Park and enter Art Gallery Road, which is located to the immediate north of St Mary's Cathedral. Walk northward along Art Gallery Road until you come to the Art Gallery of NSW. You can't miss it.
Click here for full particulars:
http://www.thearchibaldprize.com.au/