Sir William Alexander Dargie, CBE (June 4, 1912 – July 26, 2003) was an Australian painter, known especially for his portrait paintings. He holds the record for most Archibald Prize wins; eight. He was an official Australian war artist during the Second World War.

When he was young he met important Australian artists such as Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts.

He was digging a trench in Tobruk, while serving with the Australian army when informed that he had won the Archibald Prize in 1942. He served during the war in the Middle East, New Guinea, India and Burma.

He painted two official portraits of Australian Prime Ministers; Arthur Fadden and John McEwen. He painted portraits of other famous Australians such as Margaret Court and Charles Kingsford Smith. In December 1954 he painted Australia's official painting of Queen Elizabeth, who posed for him at Buckingham Palace. He painted the Duke of Edinburgh in 1956.

He received an Order of the British Empire in 1959, and was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1969. He also held positions on several gallery boards, serving on the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board for twenty years. Between 1946 and 1953 he was head of the Victorian Art School at the National Gallery of Victoria.

While he is most known for his portraits, he has also done a number of other works, such as smaller interior views and still lifes.

Archibald Prize Winners

Dargie won the Archibald Prize with the following works:

• 1941 - Sir James Elder, K.B.E.(Image)
• 1942 - Corporal Jim Gordon, V.C.(Image)
• 1945 - Lt-General The Hon. Edmund Herring, K.B.C., D.S.O., M.C., E.D.(Image)
• 1946 - L. C. Robson, MC, MA (Image)
• 1947 - Sir Marcus Clark, K.B.E.(Image)
• 1950 - Sir Leslie McConnan (Image)
• 1952 - Mr Essington Lewis, C.H.(Image)
• 1956 - Mr Albert Namatjira (Image)

External links

• portrait.gov.au
• Artists Footsteps
• William Dargie at Australian Art

Donate to Wikimedia