Evert Ploeg


Evert Ploeg is one of Australia's most highly regarded portrait painters, who has won a range of painting prizes, such as the 1999 and 2007 Archibald Prize and was awarded the highly coveted ‘Signature Status’ of The Portrait Society of America.

Personal life

Born and raised in Sydney in a family of Dutch heritage, Ploeg works from his self-designed studio on the city’s Northern Beaches, which was featured on Nine Network’s ‘Our House’ programme in 2001. He lives with his partner, film and television costumier, Ivana Daniele and their two daughters.

Style and Artistic Approach

Working in a tonal realist style, Ploeg’s pictures bespeak an approach to portraiture that is inspired by documentary methods. Putting emphasis on visually encoding a personal narrative in any given portrait, he builds connection to his subjects through conversation and extended observation both during their sitting as well as in their engagements outside of the atelier. In his early work, he explored alternative textures and surfaces, while today his direct and sculptural approach sees him coming back to and revisiting passages, building up character and emotion through tonal layering. Rhythmical application delivers a dynamic sense of movement while maintaining a harmonious and expressive style. A dominant feature in Ploeg’s work is thereby the aesthetic rendition of hands, with their shape and posture rounding compositions and giving them their signature look. Over the past decade, Ploeg has begun engaging more and more in plein-air painting, affording unique scenarios that lend his current style an ‘Alla Prima’ element.

Career

Ploeg mainly works on a commission basis, with his work having been recognized with numerous national prizes and awards. It is held in many of Australia’s major public and private collections as well as having received sustained international coverage, especially in the USA. Aside from direct commissions, he has also participated in a plethora of special events, for example engaging in live painting on stage for acclaimed theatre projects, judging in art prize panels or lending his time as well as painting and sculptural skill to charity causes. He also guest lectures and conducts workshops and classes across the country.

Archibald Prize

Amid the most significant recognition of Ploeg’s achievements are his three-time wins at Australia’s most prestigious and often controversial Archibald Portrait Prize held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Having first entered the competition in 1997 with a controversial submission of a portrait of the ABC’s cherished cartoon characters Bananas in Pyjamas, Ploeg has since won the coveted Archibald People’s Choice Award in 1999 and in 2007, as well as its Packing Room Prize in 2004. Furthermore, Ploeg has been selected to the Salon des Refuses of Sydney’s S.H. Ervin Gallery, termed the Alternative Archibald, three times with a People’s Choice win there in 2000 ¬– concurrent to having had his portrait of Paralympian athlete Louise Sauvage competing in the ‘Sporting’ Archibald held in conjunction with the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
He has also entered paintings to the Archibald Prize of singer Ben Lee, fashion identity Peter Morrissey, actor Richard Roxburgh and art collector and philanthropist John Schaeffer AO.

Collections

Australian Ballet School, Melbourne
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian War Memorial
CERA – Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital
Florey Institute
Melbourne Cricket Club
National Portrait Gallery of Australia
St John Ambulance
The Australiana Fund
The University of Melbourne – Economics
The University of Melbourne – Law School
Private School Collections :
Camberwell Grammar School
Lauriston Girls School
Queens College
As well as numerous private collections in Australia, the UK, Netherlands, Italy, Sweden & USA.

Commissions

Ploeg has painted portraits of clients with international renown, such as pop star Ben Lee, fashion identity Peter Morrissey, film actor Richard Roxburgh, art collector & philanthropist John Schaeffer AO, the late ‘Mr Movies’ Bill Collins OAM and Dr Paul Scully Power - Australia’s first astronaut in space. The lion’s share of his assignments originates from commercial and corporate institutions, which saw him paint, for example, Mrs Tamie Fraser AO for the Australiana Fund in 2018 and Prof. Fred Hilmer AO, eighth Vice-Chancellor of The University of New South Wales and Deputy-Chairman of the Westfield Group, with the work included in the 20/20 exhibition at the Australian National Portrait Gallery.
Before committing his entire career to portraiture, Ploeg worked as a trained illustrator for 13 years, having graduated East Sydney’s Design College in 1984. His work was commissioned by prestigious department stores, international cosmetic companies, leading advertising agencies and major publishing houses and was regularly featured in editorial and advertisement spreads in fashion magazines of the day. For example, he was commissioned to illustrate the re-publications of Australian classic children’s stories, such as We of the Never, Never and Clancy of the Overflow by Australian poet Banjo Patterson. For this kind of work, he received a coveted award from publisher Random House for Outstanding Cover in 1999. Following this success, publisher Hodder Headline enlisted Ploeg to illustrate the cover jackets for seven books of Geoffrey McSkimming’s children’s adventure series Cairo Jim.

Theatre Work

In addition to his regular portraiture commissions, Ploeg has for the past decade been involved with Australian arts and social change company Big hART Inc., which conducts large-scale, long-term community development projects. In September 2010, he joined the cast of their highly acclaimed Namatjira production at Sydney’s premier Belvoir Street Theatre, which relates the biographical story of late Western Aranda watercolor painter Albert Namatjira. Ploeg was painting lead actor Trevor Jamieson’s portrait while he was performing his role live on stage, retelling the story of one of Australia’s most famous Indigenous artists. Over the season and its subsequent national tour, Ploeg completed eight paintings, which were exhibited and sold at the Adelaide State Gallery & Museum together with other visual art created in the context of Big hART’s project.
Ploeg’s association with the company has continued beyond the Namatjira Project, with him participating also in creative developments of their Yijala Yala Project in the Pilbara communities of Western Australia and in their seafaring project Blue Angel, which saw him spent a seven-day residency onboard the oil tanker British Loyalty in 2014, painting crew members on their way from Sydney to Brisbane. Those works were first exhibited in the 2015 Tasmanian 10 Days on the Island Festival as part of a site-specific theatre production in Hobart’s Astor Hotel, with a subsequent presentation having occurred at the Wooden Boat Festival at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney on board the tall ship James Craig in 2016.
In between these engagements with Big hART, Ploeg was also invited to sketch a live portrait of actor Kurt Sutton while performing in the play An Evening with Mark Twain at Elm Street Theatre in Woodstock in 2013.

Recognition, Honors and Awards

Internationally, Ploeg has had a long involvement with the Portrait Society of America. First awarded in their 2005 International Competition, he has gone on to garner further awards including Best of Show and Certificate of Excellence. In the Society’s Membership Only competition, he received Honourable Mentions and Merit Awards in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 and twice First Place in the highly contested Commissioned category. In 2018, the Society granted Ploeg the highly prized lifelong Signature Status.
In 2015, Ploeg was selected as one of 10 artists worldwide to compete in the New York Grand Central Academy’s Alla Prima Portrait Competition, whose works were exhibited in a month-long show at Eleventh St Arts in Long Island. Earlier, he had participated in the Macquarie Bank-sponsored Portrait Artists Australia exhibition held in the Australian Embassy in Washington DC.
Other international accolades include long-listed works in the BP Portrait Award in London, UK.
Nationally, in addition to his Archibald awards, he also won the Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize, has been a multiple finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, six-time finalist in the Black Swan Portrait Prize and has three works in St John Ambulance, with the last one having been unveiled at Government House in Canberra in 2019.

Honours and Awards Roll

2019: Certificate of Excellence – International Competition
2018
Lifelong Signature Status
Semi Finalist – Doug Moran National Portrait Prize
Winner Members Only Competition – Commissioned Category
2017:
Certificate of Excellence – International Competition
Finalist – Black Swan Portrait Prize
2016:
Long-listed BP Portrait Award, London
Winner Hunters Hill Art Prize
Finalist Black Swan Portrait Prize
Winner Members Only Competition – Commissioned Category
Finalist Art Renewal Centre – 12th International Salon
2015:
Long-listed BP Portrait Award, London
Finalist Doug Moran National Portrait Prize
Merit Award Members Only Competition – Commissioned Category
2014:
Finalist Archibald Portrait Prize
Finalist Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize
Finalist Black Swan Portrait Prize
2nd Place Members Only Competition – Non-Commissioned Category
Finalist Doug Moran National Portrait Prize
2013:
Honourable Mention Portfolio Submission
Finalist Black Swan Portrait Prize
2012:
Honourable Mention Members Only Competition – Non-Commissioned Category
Certificate of Excellence – International Competition
Finalist Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize
2011:
Winner Best of Show – International Competition
Highly Commended Mortimore Prize – Small Category
Finalist Black Swan Portrait Prize
2010:
Honourable Mention Members Only Competition – Oil Category
Finalist Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize
Finalist Kilgour Art Prize for Figurative Painting
Winner Ex Arte Equinus IV – Painting Category
2009:
Highly Commended Black Swan Portrait Prize
Finalist Mortimore Art Prize
2008:
Finalist Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize
Finalist ANL Maritime Art Award
Commended Berkelouw Self Portrait Prize
2007:
Winner Archibald Prize – People’s Choice Category
2006:
Finalist Doug Moran National Portrait Prize
Finalist Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize
2005:
Winner International Portrait Competition – Exceptional Merit Award
Winner Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize
Commended Inaugural Berkelouw Portrait Prize
2004:
Winner Archibald Prize – Packing Room Prize
Highly Commended Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize
2003:
Winner People’s Choice
Honourable Mention Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize
2000:
Winner ‘Salon Des Refuse’ – Holding Redlich People’s Choice Award
Finalist Sporting Portrait Prize of Australia
Finalist Doug Moran National Portrait Prize
1999:
Winner Archibald Prize – People’s Choice
Winner Listener’s Choice Award
Winner Listener’s Choice Award
Winner Outstanding Cover Award
1998
3rd Place ‘Salon Des Refuse’ – People’s Choice Award

Exhibitions

In addition to the exhibitions as part of the above-named art prizes, Ploeg’s work was shown on many occasions, including the following:
2018:
20/20 Celebrating 2O Years – National Portrait Gallery
Monday Nights – Northern Beaches Creative Space
2017:
Cabaret – Glen Street Theatre
Land – Manly Gallery & Museum
World Polo Championship Art Exhibition – Sydney Polo Club
Expresso Yourself CupART
2016:
Wooden Boat Festival – Australian Maritime Museum
Mystery Art Sale Donation – Portrait Society of America
Hunters Hill Art Prize
Virtual Connections – No.1 Martin Place Sydney
2015:
Imago Mundini – global art project initiated by Luciano Benetton
Eleventh St Arts, Grand Central Atelier
Saltwater – Manly Art Gallery & Museum
Project 504 – Sydney
2014:
Portrait Artists Australia – Australian Embassy
2013:
Keeping Company – Manly Art Gallery & Museum
Multicultural Australia – NSW Parliament House
Mystery Art Sale Donation – Portrait Society of America
Ngurratjuta Many Hands Art Center, Alice Springs
2012:
Adelaide Festival – ArtSpace
Adelaide State Gallery & Museum
2011:
Mystery Art Sale Donation – Portrait Society of America
Fundraiser Donation Art57 – Manly Selective Campus
Inglis Equine Art Prize – Sydney Inglis Sales Complex
Melbourne Oaklands
Mortimore Art Prize
Scots College – Orange, Mudgee, Byron Bay, Canberra, Murwillumbah, Bendigo
All the World’s a Stage – Victorian Art Society
2010:
Face –Off – MLC Gallery, Sydney
Mystery Art Sale Donation – Portrait Society of America
The Artist Muse – Arthouse Hotel, Sydney
Kilgour Figurative Painting Prize – Newcastle Regional Gallery
2009:
In Paradise: Artists of the Northern Beaches – Manly Art Gallery & Museum
2008:
The Art of Healing – Arthouse Hotel, Sydney
New works & Collectors – DeHavilland Gallery, Wollongong
2007:
Intimate Studies – Texture and Form – Catalina Gallery, Avalon
2006:
Mosman Art Prize – Mosman Art Gallery
2005:
Fur and Feathers – Arthouse Hotel, Sydney
2004:
Courtroom and Street Antics – Arthouse Hotel, Sydney
2003:
Unhung Heroes – Made for Australia Gallery, Canberra
2002:
Warringah Art Exhibition, Brookvale
1995:
Mask of Myth ¬– Annandale, Sydney