Josonia Palaitis (born 1949)[1] is an Australian artist living in Sydney, Australia. She won the 1994 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize[2] with a portrait of her father artist John Mills. In 1995 she won the Archibald Prize People's Choice award with a portrait of Bill Leak (artist and cartoonist for the Australian Newspaper).[3]

The National Portrait Gallery commissioned her in 2000 to paint its first portrait of an Australian Prime Minister to include their spouse, a portrait of John Howard and his wife Janette.[4] In 2002 she was commissioned to paint the Childers Memorial Portrait which depicts the fifteen young backpackers who died in a hostel fire in Childers, Queensland in 2000.[5]

Her portrait Patrick Dodson, Yawuru Man, (of chairman of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, Pat Dodson), was a finalist in the 1998 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize and is in the collection of the National Library of Australia. Other prominent people she has painted include:

Awards
Preceded by People's Choice Award
1995
for portrait of painter Bill Leak
Succeeded by

References

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  1. ^ "Josonia Palaitis". Design and Art Australia Online. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  2. ^ Winner: People's Choice 1995, Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of NSW
  3. ^ Leon Gettler (20 October 2007). "Like the bird, will the nation turn its back on the PM?". The Age.
  4. ^ "Childers Backpacker Memorial". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  5. ^ Finalists for 1993, Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of NSW
  6. ^ Finalists for 1996, Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of NSW
  7. ^ 2006 Archibald Finalist, Art Gallery of NSW
  8. ^ Daniel Dasey (26 March 2006). "Prize winner leaves the critics bemused". Sydney Morning Herald.
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