2026 Art Prize Judge - Philip Bacon AO
The Stuartholme Alumnae is honoured to welcome Philip Bacon AO as Judge for the Open Prizes at the 2026 Stuartholme Art Show.
His discerning eye and lifelong dedication to the arts will ensure a thoughtful and prestigious selection of this year’s prize-winning works.
We wish all participating artists the very best and look forward to celebrating their exceptional creativity.
A prolific contributor to the arts
Philip Bacon is a highly respected figure in the Australian arts community and brings decades of expertise, leadership and a deep commitment to the advancement of visual arts.
His credentials, contribution and accolades are impressive.
Director of Philip Bacon Galleries
Trustee, Margaret Olley Art Trust
Member of the Board, Bundanon Art Museum, NSW
Deputy Chairman, Brisbane Festival
Trustee, Gordon Darling Foundation
Member of the Board of the Foundation of Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art and Chairman of the Board of the Foundation of the National Gallery of Australia
Former Chairman of Opera Australia Capital Fund
Former Trustee, Historic Houses Trust
Former Trustee, Sydney Living Museums, NSW
In 2021 he was made an Officer (AO), in the Order of Australia.
From 1994 to 2011 he was a Director of Opera Australia, and was reappointed to that board in 2014 to 2023.
In 2002 he received a Doctor of the University from Griffith University and in 2005 a Doctor of the University from Queensland University of Technology.
From 1996 to 2003 Philip Bacon was a Council Member, National Gallery of Australia.
From 1994 to 2011 he was a Director of Opera Australia, and was reappointed to that board in 2014 to 2023.
He was made a Member, Order of Australia in 1999 and in the same year received a Doctor of Philosophy (honoris causa) from the University of Queensland.
Philip Bacon Galleries is one of Australia’s leading art galleries.
It plays a pivotal commercial and educational role in the thriving Brisbane art scene. The gallery is renowned for the depth of its stockroom and for exhibiting many of the country’s most collectable, twentieth century and contemporary artists.
The gallery was opened in 1974 with the encouragement of artists Lawrence Daws, Margaret Olley, Charles Blackman and Robert Dickerson. It soon became Brisbane’s leading commercial gallery and attracted national attention. The gallery, designed by award-winning architects Cox Rayner, has five exhibition spaces that allow for monthly represented artist exhibitions, display of works from the stockroom and a designated works on paper gallery.
Artists represented include: Rick Amor, Cressida Campbell, Jun Chen, the Estate of Ray Crooke, Lawrence Daws, the Estate of Robert Dickerson, William Mackinnon, Michael McWilliams, William Robinson, the Estate of Margaret Olley, Jude Rae, the Estate of Jeffrey Smart, Tim Storrier, Philip Wolfhagen, the Estate of Fred Williams, Zoe Young and Michael Zavros.