Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Australia’s most respected drawing award.

This touring exhibition of over 40 works brings together the winning entries in the Dobell Prize for Drawing from the last 20 years, along with a selection of finalist works that have since been bought for or donated to the Art Gallery of NSW’s Dobell Australian Drawing Collection.

Held annually from 1993 to 2012, the prize was initiated by the trustees of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation and the Art Gallery of NSW. The winning work was automatically added to the Art Gallery of NSW collection.

The Dobell Prize has always been the subject of discussion and debate about the nature of drawing. What constitutes a drawing was deliberately not outlined in the conditions of entry. That was left for competing artists to define by their practice and for each individual judge, annually appointed by the trustees of the foundation, to determine in the process of looking at all the entries. This flexible, open-minded approach ensured a great variety of drawings was submitted each year, and the anniversary exhibition provides a revealing insight into contemporary Australian drawing.

An Art Gallery of NSW exhibition supported by the Sir William Dobell Foundation, toured by Museums & Galleries NSW.