Peter Wegner (born 1953) is a

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

-based figurative painter, sculptor, and

draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to: * An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century * An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...

. His work hangs in many galleries in Australia, and he is known for winning the

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...

in 2021.

Portrait of Guy Warren at 100 by Peter Wegner 2021 oil on canvas 165cm x 122cm

Early life and education

Peter Wegner was born in 1953. He gained a fine arts degree in 1985, and obtained a postgraduate diploma in 1988 from the

Phillip Institute of Technology Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

. In 2007 he completed a Master of Fine Arts at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

Career

After Wegner exhibited his work in a in group exhibition in 1977, having had no training in art, he was awarded a two-year A.M.E. Bale residential painting scholarship under Sir

William Dargie Captain (armed forces), Captain Sir William Alexander Dargie (4 June 1912 – 26 July 2003) was a renowned Australian painter, known especially for his portrait paintings. He won the Archibald Prize, Australia's premier award for portrait ...

. After gaining his degree and diploma, he started lecturing in the Drawing Department of

Ballarat University The University of Ballarat, Australia was a dual-sector university with multiple campuses in Victoria, Australia, including its main Ballarat campus, Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide that were authorized by the university to provide diploma, unde ...

, and has also since been a visiting lecturer at La Trobe, Monash and

RMIT RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering classes in art, scienc ...

universities.

Exhibitions

Wegner has held many solo exhibitions since 1982 and his work has been included in many group exhibitions. * ''Dobell Prize for Drawing'', Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2012 * ''BP Portrait Prize'',

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

and Edinburgh, 2012 * ''

Archibald Prize finalists Archibald is a masculine given name, composed of the Germanic elements '' erchan'' (with an original meaning of "genuine" or "precious") and ''bald'' meaning "bold". Medieval forms include Old High German and Anglo-Saxon . Erkanbald, bishop of ...

'', 2011 * ''

'', 2020 *'' Archibald Prize winner'', 2021

Awards

* 2021 Winner

* 2016: Rick Amor Prize for small drawings, Art Gallery of Ballarat, for ''Three Days with EM'' * 2013: Winner,

Gallipoli Art Prize The Gallipoli Art Prize is an Australian acquisitive art prize that celebrates the Gallipoli campaign of the First World War, awarded annually by the Gallipoli Memorial Club and worth . The prize's organisers began work in 2004. The Anzac Cent ...

* 2006:

Doug Moran National Portrait Prize The Doug Moran National Portrait Prize is an annual Australian portrait prize founded by Doug Moran in 1988, the year of Australia's Bicentenary. It is the richest portrait prize in the world with A$150,000 awarded to the winner. The prize is a ...

, for ''Wounded Poet 2006'' (Graham Doyle) * Four-time finalist in the

. * 1978-1980: A.M.E. Bale residential painting scholarship under Sir William Dargie

Public collections

Wegner's work is held in public collections including: * National Portrait Gallery (Canberra) ** '' Don Argus'' (2004) ** ''

Jacques Miller Jacques Francis Albert Pierre Miller AC FRS FAA (born 2 April 1931) is a French-Australian research scientist. He is known for having discovered the function of the thymus and for the identification, in mammalian species of the two major subset ...

'' (2002) ** ''

Victor Smorgon Victor Smorgon (2 January 1913 – 3 July 2009) was an Australian industrialist, arts patron and benefactor, who was founder and former head of the Victor Smorgon Group. Biography Smorgon was born in 1913 in Heidelberg, a German settlement ...

'' (2000) ** '' Graeme Clark'' (2000). As an etching, profile, and portrait. ** '' John Marsden'' (1998) *

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most importa ...

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) is a museum located in Hobart, Tasmania. The museum was established in 1846, by the Royal Society of Tasmania, the oldest Royal Society outside England. The TMAG receives 400,000 visitors annually. ...

Heide Museum of Modern Art The Heide Museum of Modern Art, also known as Heide, is an art museum in Bulleen, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1981, the museum houses modern and contemporary art across three distinct exhibition buildings and is set ...

, Melbourne *

State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...

References

External links

* * (Curriculum vitae) {{DEFAULTSORT:Wegner, Peter Artists from Melbourne Australian painters Doug Moran National Portrait Prize winners Monash University alumni RMIT University alumni Archibald Prize finalists 1953 births Living people