Adam Cullen
Adam Cullen (born 1965), Australian artist, most known for winning the Archibald Prize in 2000 with a portrait of actor David Wenham. He is also known for his controversial subjects or work. His style has at times been called simplistic, crude, adolescent or puerile, though he has been voted one of Australia's most collectible contemporary artists.
His studio is in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. He says that he paints to the music of punk bands The Meat Puppets, Black Flag and the Butthole Surfers. He has painted such things as dead cats, 'bloodied' kangaroos, headless women and punk men, many of which represent what he calls 'Loserville'.
The artist uses a highly personal visual language to address a broad range of topics including crime, masculinity and cowboy culture. He merges high and low cultural influences in works which are defined by their iridescent colours and bold gestural marks. His works skilfully combine irreverent humour with an astute sensitivity to society.
In November 2009, The Cullen Hotel opened to much acclaim in Melbourne, Australia.
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[edit] Early life
Adam Cullen was born in Sydney in 1965. He graduated from the City Art Institute with a Diploma of Professional Art in 1987 and received a Master of Fine Arts from the University of New South Wales in 1999. He has exhibited broadly in individual and group exhibitions both in Australia and overseas. In 2002 he represented Australia at the 25th Biennale de São Paulo.
He gained early fame at art school by dragging around a rotting pig’s head chained to his ankle. He raised eyebrows by collaborating with the infamous Mark ‘Chopper’ Read for their children’s book, Hooky the Cripple. Cullen was well established as a Sydney ‘grunge’ artist when he won the prestigious Archibald Prize for his portrait of actor David Wenham in 2000.
[edit] Association with criminal figures
Many times has Adam Cullen used the image of infamous and iconic Australian bushranger Ned Kelly in his artwork. He has portrayed the killers of 1986 murder victim Anita Cobby, and also illustrated the underworld figure and convicted criminal Mark 'Chopper' Read's fairy tale book called Hooky the Cripple.
[edit] Archibald Prize
After winning the Archibald Prize, he lodged a complaint with the ABC who had used his painting, Portrait of David Wenham, in a television commercial. Cullen argued that artists have the right to control how their images are used and asked that a fee of $67,500 be paid to him for them using it in this way, though it was negotiated that he would be paid $80 for it instead.
He was a finalist in the Archibald Prize again between 2001 and 2004, having also been in 1997 and 1999. In total he has entered the prize at least 9 times and been hung at least 8 times. He was interviewed in the 2005 Peter Berner documentary about the Archibald Prize called Loaded Brush.
His painting Edmund was in the 2006 Archibald Prize finalists. He was a finalist for the 2011 Archibald Prize.
[edit] Other prizes
He was exhibited in the Doug Moran National Portrait prize in 2000/2001 with a portrait of comedian Mikey Robbins. He was the winner of the Mosman Art Prize in 2005, having been a finalist in 2000. He represented Australia in the 25th São Paulo International Biennale in Brazil in 2002.
[edit] Quotes
"Endurance is more important than the truth."
[edit] External links
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Euan MacLeod |
Archibald Prize 2000 for Portrait of David Wenham |
Succeeded by Nicholas Harding |
