Garry Shead Tom Thompson

The subject of this Archibald Prize-winning portrait by Garry Shead is writer and publisher Tom Thompson (born 1953).

Shead and Thompson had been good friends for 20 years. When Shead decided to paint him, he invited Thompson and his family to stay for the weekend. The painting of the portrait was quick and intense. The initial sitting only took half an hour, after lunch, 'a fair bit of wine’ and a joint meditation session. Shead was so happy with the results that they only had one other sitting, with Shead doing only a small amount of follow-up work on the painting.

What appealed to Shead was Thompson’s strength of personality and charisma. He focused on the introspective anti-hero aspect of Thompson’s persona. Thompson himself has said that he believes the portrait embodies the agony that he and Shead were suffering over the loss of their mutual friend, artist Brett Whiteley.