Up-and-coming artist Julia Gutman has made history as one of the youngest winners of the prestigious Archibald Prize with her captivating portrait of singer Montaigne.

Montaigne, who represented Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021, met Julia in a share house and the two became good friends.

Julia spoke to Deborah Knight about the importance of that close relationship. “If you know someone well… you’re going to be able to capture something about the personality or spirit or sensibility that feels a bit more real,” explained Julia.

On the $100,000 prize, Julia said it was life-changing and would allow her the freedom to continue experimenting and pushing boundaries in her work.

Hear more highlights from Deborah Knight below: