![ARCHIBALD PORTRAITURE: Bathurst Regional Art Gallery [BRAG] director Sarah Gurich and curatorial assistant Joel Tonks with Kirpy's portrait of Paralympian Dylan Alcott. Photo: SAM BOLT](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/xry9xtRQu9u36zRV2j5976/fb48ec3a-7c9c-4e2a-b14b-d26b0b7cf4b4.JPG/r61_0_4608_2304_w576_h298_fmax.webp "ARCHIBALD PORTRAITURE: Bathurst Regional Art Gallery [BRAG] director Sarah Gurich and curatorial assistant Joel Tonks with Kirpy's portrait of Paralympian Dylan Alcott. Photo: SAM BOLT")
Bathurst Regional Art Gallery [BRAG] is set to be a hive of activity throughout late winter and spring with three upcoming exhibitions to keep the community enthused.
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For the first time in a number of years, BRAG will play host to the Archibald Prize Regional Tour, featuring the 2019 submissions for Australia's pinnacle accolade for painting and portraiture.
The exhibition will also be complemented by the Bathurst Young Archies Competition finalists, featuring entries from local children, and the community photographic portrait exhibition, Pictures of You.
BRAG director Sarah Gurich said the new exhibition will give gallery visitors a vital insight into the vibrancy of portraiture.
"A key highlight of the Archibald works is how the artist interprets their subject, who is often a person of national significance," Ms Gurich said.
"The people's choice winner last year was Tessa MacKay's portrait of actor David Wenham, and there's never a shortage of art styles on display."
The 2019 Archibald Prize is Australia's oldest art prize and is awarded each year at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney.
Last year's winning entry was Tony Costa's portrait of fellow artist Liny Lee, and other notable portrait subjects include Paralympian Dylan Alcott, rugby league star Greg Inglis and musician Megan Washington.
Ms Gurich said the Young Archies and Pictures of You works will provide a distinct local flavour to the popular Archibald works.
"With Bathurst's iteration of Young Archies, we've received portrait entries from children between the ages of three and 18, and each work features a person significant to the respective artist's life," she said.
"The entries we've received are absolutely fantastic; the brush strokes are so raw and it's incredible how even the younger artists have the natural ability to capture so much."
"It's the same with Pictures of You, the quality of entries we've received have really unearthed some talented photographers in the community."
BRAG reopened in early June following a COVID-19-induced lockdown, and has carefully implemented a COVID-safe plan to ensure the safety of visitors.
The three exhibitions will be launched on Saturday, August 15 in lieu of a regular launch event due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Public programs linked to the exhibitions will be announced on BRAG's website and social media channels closer to the launch date.
For more information about BRAG, visit www.bathurstart.com.au.
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Sam Bolt
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
