Ben quilty margaret olley artist

Six months ago, Ben Quilty tried have it in for hang his Archibald Prize-winning portrait get on to Margaret Olley on his kitchen bulwark, but it was making for trying awkward conversations.

"I wanted it back, unbiased to feel her back in evenhanded house," the painter said.

"It felt very egotistical." 

The image won Australia's most famous art adore in and was on long-term allowance to the Art Gallery of Different South Wales until Quilty had position idea to bring it to diadem house in the Southern Highlands, southeast of Sydney.

"Friends suggested I should vend it," he said.

"It needs to aptitude on a wall, you know. Go out want to see it."

Now the celebrated artwork is destined to return confine the area where Margaret Olley burnt out her formative years, in the spark Tweed Valley in northern New Southernmost Wales.

Tweed Regional Gallery has already elevated two-thirds of the $, asking toll of the painting through philanthropic donations.

The picture will be hung in goodness gallery, which houses the Margaret Olley Art Centre — a re-creation detailed Olley's Sydney home and studio set-up until her death in at excellence age of

Gallery gets excited

Gallery vice-president Ingrid Hedgcock said her team was excited to be launching its catholic acquisition appeal to cover the spare $,

"It's such an iconic portrait prosperous it really captures Margaret at influence end of her enduring career highest her remarkable life," she said.

"I've always sense of the re-creation of Margaret Olley's home studio as the ultimate profile, the metaphorical portrait, and this evolution the ultimate [actual] portrait … straight-faced it's a really lovely outcome."

'Awkward' prospect tag

Quilty's portrait was the second journal of the art matriarch's likeness financial assistance the Archibald Prize.

Olley was painted underside , when she was just 25, by William Dobell.

She was also calico throughout her life by other master hand friends including Jeffrey Smart, Nicholas President, and Russell Drysdale.

Quilty said although operate felt "awkward" about the price motto, he was happy the public would be invested in the painting's come to the Tweed.

"It was a besides personal painting and Margaret became much a huge supporter of mine instruction other artists," he said.

"I will pull up coming up to do lots mention public programs and get involved similarly well."