Ben Quilty Cullen - before and after

Adam Cullen is an artist who has had more than 200 solo and group exhibitions both here and overseas. His work is held in the collections of all Australian state galleries and in the National Gallery of Australia. He was the representative for Australia at the 25th Biennale de Sao Paulo in Brazil and in 2000 was the winner of the Archibald Prize.

“Adam lives in the Blue Mountains and shoots feral animals to freeze them in his fridge,” says Ben Quilty. “He is 40, drives an FC Holden and is currently unlicensed. This is a portrait of Adam before four vodkas, and after 15.”

Born in Sydney in 1973, Quilty did a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Painting) at Sydney College of the Arts followed by a Bachelor of Visual Communication at the University of Western Sydney, School of Design. He was a finalist in last year’s Archibald Prize with a portrait of Beryl Whiteley, mother of the late Brett Whiteley and founder and patron of the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, which Quilty won in 2002. Since then he has worked full-time as an artist. He was a finalist in the 2004 Archibald and Wynne Prizes.

This work is now in the collection of the Newcastle Art Gallery, NSW.