Adam Cullen (1965- ), Australian artist, most known for winning the Archibald Prize in 2000 with a portrait of actor David Wenham. He is also known for his controversial subjects or work. His style has at times been called simplistic, crude, adolescent or puerile, though he has been voted one of Australia's most collectible contemporary artists. His studio is in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. He says that he paints to the music of punk bands The Meat Puppets, Black Flag and the Butthole Surfers He has painted such things as dead cats, 'bloodied' kangaroos, headless women and punk men, many of which represent what he calls 'Loserville'.
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Early life
As a child he drew cartoons for a local newspaper. In his student days, he shocked his teachers with a performance art piece that involved chaining a rotted pigs head to his leg, which he trailed around with him for several weeks. He received a Bachelor of Arts in 1986, and a Master of Fine Arts from the UNSW in 1999.
Association with criminal figures
He portrayed the killers of 1986 murder victim Anita Cobby, he also illustrated the underworld figure and convicted criminal Mark 'Chopper' Read's fairy tale book called Hooky the Cripple.
Archibald Prize
After winning the Archibald Prize, he lodged a complaint with the ABC who had used his painting, Portrait of David Wenham, in a television commercial. Cullen argued that artists have the right to control how their images are used and asked that a fee of $67,500 be paid to him for them using it in this way, though it was negotiated that he would be paid $80 for it instead. He was a finalist in the Archibald Prize again between 2001 and 2004, having also been in 1997 and 1999. In total he has entered the prize at least 9 times and been hung at least 8 times. He was interviewed in the 2005 Peter Berner documentary about the Archibald Prize called Loaded Brush. His painting Edmund was in the 2006 Archibald Prize finalists
Other prizes
He was exhibited in the Doug Moran National Portrait prize in 2000/2001 with a portrait of comedian Mikey Robbins. He was the winner of the Mosman Art Prize in 2005, having been a finalist in 2000. He represented Australia in the 25th São Paulo International Biennale in Brazil in 2002.
External links
- Adam Cullen's Place in Art
- Adam Cullen: Looking for the man
- Doug Moran prize
- show in Adelaide
- The Maker: Adam Cullen
- Adam Cullen
- Punk's not quite dead
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Euan MacLeod |
Archibald Prize 2000 for Portrait of David Wenham |
Succeeded by Nicholas Harding |
