McLean Edwards

McLean Edwards is an Australian painter and portraitist. In 2019 he was awarded ⁣⁣⁣⁣the 2019 Sir John Sulman Prize.

Early life and education

McLean Edwards was born in 1972 in Darwin, Northern Territory^[1]to Gregson Edwards^[2] and Maria Bredun. McLean Edwards attended the Canberra School of Art.^[3]

Career

Edwards' first solo exhibition was in Sydney in 1995; he has since had over 20 solo exhibitions.^[4]

His form of portraiture is known as "emotional larceny".^[5]

Recognition and awards

Edwards was an Archibald Prize finalist in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, and 2013.^{[citation needed]}

He was a Doug Moran National Portrait Prize finalist in 2014.^[3]

He is the subject of Tim Storrier's 2017 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize winning The Lunar Savant.^[6][7]

Edwards was awarded ⁣⁣⁣⁣the 2019 Sir John Sulman Prize for his portrait, The First Girl That Knocked on His Door;^[8] after being a finalist for the prize in 2001 and 2004. Also in 2019, Edwards won the Kings School Art Prize.^[3]

Collections

Edwards' work is collected widely by institutions across Australia, including the University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane; Orange Regional Gallery, Orange, New South Wales; and the Australian War Memorial, Canberra. It is also held by many Australian and International private collections.^[3]