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 Territoryto Gregson Edwards and Maria Bredun. McLean Edwards attended the Canberra School of Art.

Career

Edwards' first solo exhibition was in Sydney in 1995; he has since had over 20 solo exhibitions.
His form of portraiture is known as "emotional larceny".

Recognition and awards

Edwards was an Archibald Prize finalist in [List of Archibald Prize List of Archibald Prize 2004 finalists|2004 finalists|2004], 2006, 2007, 2010, and 2013.
He was a Doug Moran National Portrait Prize finalist in 2014.
He is the subject of Tim Storrier's 2017 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize winning The Lunar Savant.
Edwards was awarded ⁣⁣⁣⁣the 2019 Sir John Sulman Prize for his portrait, The First Girl That Knocked on His Door; after being a finalist for the prize in 2001 and 2004. Also in 2019, Edwards won the Kings School Art Prize.

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.