The twenty-five finalists in the 2008 Metro 5 Art Award, whose works went on show on Wednesday, 11 June, are now in the running for the $50,000 prize, Australia’s richest for young painters.

The Award, which is open to all Australian citizens aged 35 and under, is divided into two parts – the Judges’ Prize, worth $40,000, and the People’s Choice Prize, worth $10,000.

One prominent finalist is Melbourne-based Vincent Fantauzzo, whose Portrait of Heath Ledger won the 2008 Archibald Prize People’s Choice Prize. His entry is a 121 x 76 cm oil on canvas painting entitled Room 2304. It depicts a woman lying on her side on the floor whilst another sits on a chair in a close setting – they are the same woman.

Fantauzzo said: “I wanted the painting to be a little bit ambiguous and suggestive of a movie or theatre scene from which people can create their own meaning. The use of dramatic lighting, contrasting elements of light and dark and the rich red colours are there to create an atmosphere heavy with emotion, but it’s up to viewers to decide what that emotion is. It could be sensual, self contemplative, sorrowful or simply restful, depending on their own interpretation. I’ve simply created the scene and deliberately left it up to people to form their own conclusion from what lies before them.”

The winners of the 2008 Prizes will be announced at Metro 5 on 24 June by the Honourable Jeffrey Kennett. The finalists’ paintings will be exhibited at the gallery until 6 July 2008.

This year’s shortlist has grown by five; there are now nine finalists from Victoria; 11 from New South Wales, one each from Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and two from the Northern Territory.

Metro 5 Gallery Director, Andrea Candiani, said: “Because the standard of entries was so high this year, 25 artists have made it through to the final selection instead of 20 in previous years.

“I certainly wouldn’t want to be in the judges’ shoes. Each painting has its own particularly distinctive merits and it will be a very difficult job for them to select the winner in three weeks’ time.”

The Metro 5 Art Award was established in 2003, with several former finalists and winners continuing on to be successful in other major art awards.

People’s Choice award at the 2008 Archibald Prize Vincent’s portrait of Heath Ledger.

Vincent Fantauzzo painted his portrait of Australian actor Heath Ledger in December just weeks before Ledger died in New York in January.

Born in Perth in 1979, Ledger’s many film credits include Brokeback Mountain, for which he scored an Academy Award nomination, I’m Not There and Candy. He will be seen this year as The Joker in the new Batman movie The Dark Knight.

Fantauzzo and Ledger were friends for around five years. “We had been planning to do a portrait for the last three years,” says the artist, “but the time was never right. Then late last year he gave me a call and said he was ready to do it and was really excited.”

They met at Ledger’s mother’s home in Perth and had a long discussion about ideas for the painting. “I wanted it to be dealing with self, your own consciousness and your thoughts,” says Fantauzzo. “An artist is their own biggest critic. I had seen his eyes wander off or stare into the camera while doing interviews and wondered what he may have been thinking. I felt that being a celebrity, you are always under constant scrutiny with so many demands made of you that you have to hold part of yourself back and not give too much away.”

The artist and Ledger had a couple of lengthy sittings. Ledger was relaxed and happy and they talked about his career. “After the sittings I felt so inspired,” says Fantauzzo, who flew home to Melbourne to finish the portrait. “I worked on it solidly for 10 or 12 hours a day. I’ve never worked so intensely or painted so obsessively. I was consumed by it.”

Born in England in 1977, Fantauzzo came to Australia as a child and has a Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting) and a Master of Fine Art from RMIT University, Melbourne. He has had solo exhibitions at Dianne Tanzer Gallery in Melbourne in 2007 and 2008 and in Mumbai India in 2007. He won the 2003 Tolarno RMIT Partnership Prize and was a finalist in the 2007 Shirley Hannan Portrait Prize, DLAP, Whyalla Art Award and Duke Gold Coast Art Prize.

The Ledger family, in particular Sally, Heath Ledger’s mother, and Vincent Fantauzzo have jointly decided to donate this painting to the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Click here to read an article about it on the Archibald Prize website or click here to view the Gallery of NSW press release.