SYDNEY.- Seven-time Archibald Prize finalist Angus McDonald has won the 2024 Archibald Prize ANZ People’s Choice award for his portrait of Aboriginal writer and academic Marcia Langton AO. McDonald is only the fifth artist to have won the People’s Choice award more than once since the prize was first awarded in 1988.

Based in Lennox Head, McDonald is a strong advocate for human rights and social justice and has been working with refugees for a very long time, as shown through his painting and filmmaking practice. He flew to Melbourne to meet with Langton at her home for a live sitting where he says he was able to experience her ‘formidable intellect and wisdom’ in person.

McDonald said he was overjoyed and emotional to receive the news that he had won this year’s ANZ People’s Choice award for his portrait, Professor Marcia Langton AO.

 ‘I am so thrilled that the public voted my work as their favourite. It’s a privilege to be able to share Marcia’s inspirational story with a wider audience through this painting. Receiving the award is a special honour to me, but equally, it's as much a strong vote of respect and admiration for Marcia Langton and acknowledges the profound part she has played in the struggle for Indigenous recognition and reconciliation in this country for over 50 years,’ said McDonald.

‘Marcia is charismatic, curious, direct and one of our country's deepest thinkers. She has a well of stories which she relates with razor-sharp detail and humour, and at the same time, she radiates kindness and warmth. I wanted to portray her as both a pivotal figure in Australian history and someone who has lived an incredible life.

‘I placed her just right of centre to suggest a sense of stepping away and handing the baton to a younger group of activists after a lifetime of tireless commitment. She gazes up and to the left to reflect that she has persistently followed her own path. I'm grateful to Marcia for agreeing to sit for me, this time spent together was the highlight of the whole process.’

Born in Sydney in 1961, McDonald is an award-winning artist and documentary filmmaker. He studied at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney and the Florence Academy in Italy. McDonald has been selected as an Archibald finalist in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2020 and 2024. He was the winner of the 2020 Archibald Prize ANZ People’s Choice award for his portrait of Kurdish Iranian writer and filmmaker, Behrouz Boochani. This work was recently gifted to the Art Gallery of New South Wales and is the first work of McDonald’s to enter the Art Gallery’s collection.

The artist is also the subject of another portrait in this year’s Archibald Prize by artist and close friend Mostafa Azimitabar. Azimitabar and Farhad Bandesh were the subjects of an award-winning documentary titled, Freedom is beautiful, directed and co-produced by McDonald, that premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in 2023.

Professor Langton is a leading academic, writer and activist, and is a descendant of the Yiman and Bidjara nations of Queensland. A trailblazer in the Aboriginal rights movement in Australia, Langton has dedicated her life to the advancement of Indigenous recognition and social justice. She was a crucial figure in developing the 2023 Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

 Art Gallery of New South Wales director Michael Brand said McDonald’s work was a clear favourite among visitors to the 2024 Archibald Prize.

‘The ANZ People’s Choice award is a much-loved part of the annual Archibald Prize exhibition and this year we received the third highest number of votes in the history of the award. It is always encouraging to see thousands of visitors engaging with the exhibition and voting for their favourite portrait.

‘Angus’ depiction of Marcia Langton is striking in its detail and perfectly captures her strength and determination, and the weight of responsibility she carries as an advocate for the rights of her community. We congratulate Angus on winning, for a second time, the ANZ People’s Choice award, and for his compelling portrayal of one of Australia’s most prominent Indigenous leaders.’

The Archibald Prize People’s Choice was first awarded in 1988 and is now supported by presenting partner ANZ. This year 21,663 visitors to the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2024 exhibition voted in the competition.

As winner of the 2024 ANZ People’s Choice award McDonald takes home $5000, thanks to ANZ. One person who voted for the People’s Choice award-winning painting was also selected at random to win the People’s Choice voters’ prize. This year, the lucky voter is Kenny Mac from the Gold Coast, Queensland, who receives a $2000 cash prize, also thanks to ANZ.