The National Art School (NAS) has announced Rosemary Lee as the winner of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, Australia’s leading prize for drawing, worth $30,000.
Selected from 56 nationwide finalists, and 965 entries, NAS alumna Rosemary Lee’s work will become part of the National Art School’s significant collection, built over the past 120 years. Rosemary, in her winning work 24-1 (2024), observes tonal and compositional profundity in everyday life.
The judging panel comprising acclaimed First Nations artist Vernon Ah Kee, Paula Latos-Valier AM, Trustee and Art Director of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation, and Dr Yolunda Hickman, Head of Postgraduate Studies, National Art School, commented of Rosemary’s work: “The decision to award the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize to Rosemary Lee for the work ‘24-1’ was unanimous. We were most impressed by the level of visual intensity the artist has achieved in this complex work both through its vibrant colour and in the extraordinary detail of the composition. The artwork’s exploration of the urban landscape and gentrification of the Sydney suburbs of Ashfield and Summer Hill, has produced an image which combines two landscapes, a construction and a demolition site. The artwork captures a broader sense of transience, and the omnipresence of construction sites and urban renewal in our cities today. It questions the cultural and historical value of place, through the lens of the artist’s personal connection. The materiality and richness of the medium of coloured pencil, rewards viewers who experience this artwork in person. In addition, the use of the grid is a common art historical convention in constructing an image, but here there is a complexity in its use both conceptually and formally as subject, with the grid itself the hero residing at the forefront of the image. This is an artwork for our times.”
Curated by Lucy Latella, the finalists’ exhibition is now on at NAS Gallery until 21 June 2025. Spanning diverse media, from coloured pencil, charcoal, chalk and watercolour to clay, human hair, aluminium, LED, and video, the works consider a range of themes including domesticity and community, environmental care, and impacts of climate change and colonisation.
Presented in partnership with the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation, the biennial Dobell Drawing Prize celebrates the enduring importance of drawing in contemporary art practice, with a focus on technique, innovation and expanded approaches. The Prize attracts entries from across Australia, showcasing the diverse ways in which drawing is explored today and how artists are continuing to push the boundaries of the medium.
Dr Kristen Sharp, Director and CEO of the National Art School said: “The National Art School is thrilled to announce alumna Rosemary Lee as the winner of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize. As one of Australia’s leading platforms for contemporary drawing, the Dobell Prize highlights the exceptional skills, innovations and diverse practices that are transforming the role of the medium in contemporary art, which is a key component of our program at the National Art School.”
Paula Latos-Valier, Trustee and Art Director of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation and judge said: “The Sir William Dobell Art Foundation is proud to present the 24th edition of the Dobell Drawing Prize with the National Art School, celebrating the astonishing talent that exists in contemporary drawing today across Australia. We would like to congratulate Rosemary Lee on being this year’s Dobell Prize winner and commend all 56 finalists in the exhibition.”e experienced before – Cao’s unique blend of virtual worlds and cutting-edge technology creates playful and inventive multimedia installations that will transport visitors into her world.’
The Dobell Drawing Prize has a rich history of celebrating some of Australia’s most renowned artists, with past winners including Justine Varga, Euan Macleod, Kevin Connor, David Fairbairn, Virginia Grayson, Nicholas Harding, Ann Pollak, Gareth Sansom, Jan Senbergs, Garry Shead and Aida Tomescu. Recent finalists have included Tony Albert, Mitch Cairns, GW Bot, Jumaadi, George Gittoes, Wendy Sharpe, Noel McKenna and Reg Mombassa.
FULL LIST OF 2025 FINALISTS
Badra Aji
Margaret Ambridge
Chesca Athas
Julian Aubrey Smith
Michael Bell
Ellen Bird
Cath Brophy
Osvaldo Budet
Peter Burke
Tom Carment
Amelia Carroll
Genevieve Carroll
Tracey Clement
Hannah CooperSal Cooper
Artemisia Cornett
Maryanne Coutts
Jaq Davies
Jan Davis
Esther Erlich
Imogen Eve Rowe
Philip Faulks
Todd Fuller
Sue Grose-Hodge
Yvette Hamilton
Fe Heffernan
Emryn Ingram-Shute
Eamonn Jackson
Susan Jacobsen
Josephine Josephsen
Martin King
Anke Klevjer
Jane Lander
Rosemary Lee
Brian Martin
Jennifer Mills
Michelle Molinari
Jennifer Mills
Michelle Molinari
Monique Morter
Andrew Nicholls
Nadia Odlum
Toshiko Oiyama
Montgomery Parsons
Jose Patalinghug
Julie Paterson
Nic Plowman
Jaime Prosser
Linda Schneider
Amy Sibenaler
Sally Simpson
J9 Stanton
Floria Tosca
Claire Tozer
Shonah Trescott
Leonardo Uribe
Paul White
Agus Wijaya
ABOUT THE DOBELL PRIZE
William Dobell’s love of drawing was recognised in 1993 when the Art Gallery of NSW established an annual drawing prize in his name, initiated by the trustees of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation (SWDAF). For twenty years, the annual Dobell Prize for Drawing encouraged excellence in drawing and draughtsmanship among Australian artists. Building on the legacy of this respected award, the National Art School partnered with the SWDAF in 2019 to produce the inaugural Dobell Drawing Prize at NAS. This new iteration of the Dobell Prize celebrates technical skill, innovation and expanded definitions of drawing. The National Art School provides a context for the Dobell Drawing Prize to thrive in, and compliments the School’s esteemed academic drawing program: drawing is a core component of all studies at NAS and is taught throughout each degree.
ABOUT SIR WILLIAM DOBELL ART FOUNDATION
The Sir William Dobell Art Foundation was formed in 1971 from the artist William Dobell’s bequest with instructions that ‘a Foundation be established for the benefit and promotion of art in NSW.’ The Foundation has sponsored a wide variety of projects since then, including exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, scholarships and major public art commissions. The SWDAF first joined forces with NAS in 1998 to present the Dobell Drawing School – an annual, week-long workshop for year 11 students. Now in its twenty-fifth year, this educational partnership has expanded to include the Dobell Regional Teachers’ Workshop, which gives rural teachers the opportunity to work with a practising NAS artist. The new Dobell Drawing Prize runs in alternative years to the Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, affirming the SWDAF’s commitment to continuing the development of drawing as a medium in its own right, and a fundamental element of the visual arts.
24th Dobell Drawing Prize
11 April – 21 June 2025
NAS Gallery, National Art School, 156 Forbes St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Monday to Saturday, 11am–5pm
