‘Is that what you want to do? Peer into my soul and capture my flaws, for all to see?’
As World War II draws to a close, Australian society is still deeply conservative. Homosexuality is illegal and the scourge of Modernism is infecting Australian art.
When William (Bill) Dobell paints a portrait of lover and fellow artist Joshua Smith, he is awarded Australia’s most prestigious art prize. However, Dobell’s celebration is cut short after a protest is lodged by his competitors, who claim the painting is a caricature. Both artist and sitter soon find themselves in the glare of the spotlight when a court case to determine the matter turns into a public spectacle.
Bill and Joshua’s relationship is put under pressure and at risk of being exposed as they are caught in a world where they must choose between love and art: between acceptance and exile.
Kim E Anderson is an avid reader who has worked for a variety of book publishers and media organisations. Now, she’s combined her passion and career to write The Prize, a poignant love story with shattering consequences, inspired by real-life events.
I don’t think I can fully encapsulate how great this novel is. My mother is an artist, so I’m very much aware of the significance, honour and prestige of the Archibald Prize. But I wasn’t aware of this particular slice of art history and the real events that are at the foreground of this novel.
William Dobell is a highly-acclaimed Australian portrait and landscape artist, who has ‘The Dobell Prize’ named in his honour. The Prize is meticulously researched and educational, diving into the reality and history of the Australian art world (aspects of it that still ring true today), and 1940s Sydney.
Anderson seamlessly weaves fact with fiction to portray these two artists who enter the 1943 Archibald Prize. When a scandal erupts, it grips not only the art world, but the nation. It’s fantastic and moving. Your heart will both soar and shatter into a million pieces, all at once, reading The Prize but it’s well worth the rollercoaster ride of emotions.
Bill and Joshua’s relationship is at the centre of this novel. Anderson writes expressively and intimately vividly portraying these two characters and their taboo (at the time) relationship; I often felt like I was a fly on the wall, afraid I would expose their secret with my presence.
Through their relationship, the scandal and the court case, Anderson explores important topics of homophobia, art politics and the harrowing effects of World War II that plagued Sydney at the time.
Get ready to be transported to Sydney and its art scene in the 1940s with The Prize. It offers a unique reading experience while shedding light on this rarely told slice of history that art enthusiasts and avid readers will relish in alike. It’s stayed with me long after finishing; I’ll be talking about this special novel for months.
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