NSW Artist Faces Copying Accusations, Faces Further Claims Over Award-Winning Pieces

The single sharpest fact in one or two punchy sentences. Who did what, where, when, and why it matters. Not a summary of everything — the one thing that makes someone stop scrolling. A reader who only reads this paragraph must understand what happened.

Jane Allan, a Lennox Head artist, is at the center of a growing scandal after it emerged that her award-winning piece, Seaside Explorers, was a copy of late Australian artist Nicholas Harding’s 2011 painting, Two Estuary Figures.

Art figures have accused Allan of fabricating the story, claiming that the similarities between the two pieces go beyond artistic influence. Philip Bacon AO, a prominent Brisbane-based art dealer, was quoted saying, “Artists are always influenced by other artists … but what makes this pretty egregious is that it is a direct copy of another painting. The position of the figures, the costumes that they’re wearing, everything.”

The committee behind The Doyle Art Award, a Gold Coast prize named in honor of late artist d’Arcy Doyle, announced they are reviewing their processes and looking at “a range of changes to come.”

Allan is now facing further claims of copying, this time over her award-winning piece, Weight of the Mind’s Periapt, awarded the National Portrait Gallery’s Darling Portrait Prize in 2022. The piece bears striking similarities to neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1982 piece, Untitled (Two Heads on Gold).

A spokesperson for the National Portrait Gallery confirmed that art handlers noted Allan was “clearly influenced by Jean-Michel Basquiat” at the time of awarding her the Darling Portrait Prize. However, they also emphasized that artists have always been required to declare they are submitting an original work.

The controversy surrounding Allan has sparked heated debate within the Australian art community, with many calling for greater scrutiny of the judging process. Samuel Harding, son of the late Nicholas Harding, expressed his disappointment at seeing his father’s work copied and presented as another artist’s original work. He emphasized the importance of due diligence, provenance, and respect for artists’ intellectual property.

As the art world grapples with the implications of the scandal, one thing is clear: the need for greater transparency and accountability within the industry. By examining the specific details of this case and the broader cultural context, we can better understand the importance of respecting intellectual property and the value of original work.