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A portrait of a short-statured cricketer swinging a bat as big as himself has taken out Australia's most irreverent art prize, the Bald Archy.
Judged by a sulphur-crested cockatoo named Maude, this year's winner, featuring Australian cricketer David Warner, managed to outplay a competition otherwise dominated with paintings lampooning Pauline Hanson.
"How refreshing in these days of hate and spite and social media venom, to come across a work that is full of love and positivity," Maude said in a statement.
"When did you last see a happy portrait?"
It is the third Bald Archy win for NSW artist James Brennan.
His previous winners were the very unofficial portraits of the Danish royal family and horse trainer Bart Cummings.
Brennan said Warner was one of his heroes.
"I just love the way he plays his cricket. The way he bats, the way he fields. He's aggressive, entertaining," Brennan said.
"He can make a quick hundred before lunch.
"It's great to see a gallery with a bit of laughter, a snicker, a guffaw. Most galleries are probably the opposite to that."
Now into their 23rd year, the Bald Archies started as a spoof of the far more prestigious Archibald Prize, with winning subjects over the years as diverse as George Pell with Tony Abbott, Gina Rinehart and Shane Warne.
Founder Peter Batey said if the Archibald Prize could have an award judged by their head packer, then it was only fair a cockatoo could have its say too.
"We're often referred to by art snobs as 'that grubby little exhibition'," the 83-year-old said.
"But you're not going to look at and enjoy something with red paint running down called 'My Appendicitis Operation' are you?
"This is really the only opportunity for young, would-be caricatures coming up to get exhibited. So we're doing some good."
Topics: arts-and-entertainment, contemporary-art, visual-art, sydney-2000
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