George Calombaris Portrait Wins Archibald 'Packing Room' Prize

First-time Archibald Prize entrant Betina Fauvel-Ogden has won the prestigious Packing Room Prize with her portrait of renowned chef, restaurateur and 'MasterChef Australia' judge, George Calombaris.

The oil on linen portrait of the celebrity chef was among 51 Archibald finalists, selected from 830 entries, which were also announced on Thursday morning.

First awarded in 1921, The Archibald is an annual exhibition (shown in conjunction with The Wynne and Sulman Prizes) featuring portrait paintings of 'preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics'.

Often described as the artistic 'who's who' of Australian culture, it's little wonder the exhibition is one of Australia's favourites, though some have questioned whether the quality of the works are deserving of the public's continuing adoration. (To this, we say 'bah, humbug'. The Archibald Prize is awesome.)

The Packing Room Prize is considered as a type of precursor to the main event, and is given to the best entry as judged by the gallery staff who receive, unpack and hang the entries. (Though the head of the Art Gallery of New South Wales packing room, Steve Peters, ultimately gets the final say with 51 percent of the vote.)

"I was always interested in George Calombaris as a subject as I felt there was an intensity to his character," Fauvel-Ogden said after winning the $1500 cash prize.

"After eight months pursuing him, George gave up his valuable time to allow me three sittings. I wanted to paint him in his chef's white jacket and black apron. In choosing the pose, George felt most comfortable with his hands on his hips. I kept the lighting simple and focused on capturing the determination in his eyes.

"I had always envisaged a vibrant yellow background for the portrait. When George gave me his cookbook Greek with its bold yellow cover, as a gift at the first sitting, that clinched it."

"It is a very strong portrait. George Calombaris is looking directly at you. He means business," Peters added. "I'm hoping George will cook me a burger next time I am in Melbourne." (Hint, hint, George).

With the announcement of the Archibald finalists and Fauvel-Ogden's win also came the confirmed finalists for the Wynne and Sulman Prizes, as well as the finalists for the Young Archie competition.

Portrait subjects featured in the 2016 Archibald include Indigenous Australian model Samantha Harris (above), Wendy Whiteley, Barry Humphries and Ken Done, as well as 11 self-portraits.

The open competition is judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW, and fetches a handsome $100,000 prize.

Check out all 51 finalists in the slide show below.

The 2016 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes will be on display at The Gallery of New South Wales from 16 Jul – 9 Oct 2016. You can buy your tickets here.