Fiona O'Byrne wins 2026 Lester Prize with painting of daughter
The Melbourne-based artist, who has been painting her children for more than a decade, has won $50,000 for the artwork.
Fiona O Byrne, a Melbourne-based artist, has claimed the prestigious $50,000 Richard Lester Prize for Portraiture. Her winning entry, an oil-on-linen painting titled Luci, Now, captures a portrait of her 20-year-old daughter sitting on a stool, exhibiting a neutral expression. The artist has been painting her children for over a decade and explained that the piece highlights the changing relationship and the passage of time.
The judges, Alan Dodge, John McDonald, and Bryony Nainby, praised the softness and tenderness in the portrait, noting the ease in the subject's expression and the detailed depiction of her jacket and nail varnish. Fiona started painting at the age of 36 and has since balanced her artistic pursuits with landscape architecture. The Lester Prize, one of Australia's most significant portraiture competitions, awarded a total of $140,000 in prizes.
The exhibition featuring the 40 finalist works is currently on display at Perth's WA Museum Boola Bardip until November 29.
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