Bathurst Regional Art Gallery (BRAG) is set to be a hive of activity in the coming weeks, as it launches three new exhibitions on Saturday.
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One of the major exhibitions - the 2019 Archibald Prize Regional Tour - will feature 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 to have the Archibald Prize in Bathurst is "fantastic".
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"The Archibald Prize tours every year but because of demand you really have to get in line," she said.
"So it's taken six years for the Archibald Prize to come back to Bathurst and I imagine it'll be another six years before we have the next iteration of the Archibald Prize."
Ms Gurich said the Archibald Prize is a popular exhibition, giving the community the opportunity to connect with different figures within Australian society.
"People love looking at images of other people," she said.
"It allows you to connect with Australian art, Australian artists and significant Australians in a way that is accessible to the public.
"That's one of the keys of the Archibald Prize that makes it enduringly popular."
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there won't be a grand opening on Saturday, rather it'll be a soft launch.
"We're not having any large gatherings of people," Ms Gurich explained.
"We open the doors and invite the public to come at their leisure.
"We've worked really hard on our COVID safe plan and to be a COVID safe venue. We've got signage around to tell people how many people can be in one gallery space at one given time."
The Archibald Prize - which has been held annually since 1921 - features the who's who of Australian culture, from politicians to celebrities and from sporting heroes to artists.
Prestigious and controversial, the exhibition is Australia's foremost portraiture prize, which awards $100,000 in prize money to the winning artist.
Tony Costa was awarded the 2019 Archibald Prize for his portrait of fellow artist Lindy Lee, with people's choice won by David Darcy for his portrait of Daisy Tjuparntarri Ward and the Packing Prize going to Tessa McKay's portrait of actor David Wenham.
View the other finalists at www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au.
For more information about BRAG and the current exhibitions, visit www.bathurstart.com.au.
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