A New South Wales artist, Jane Allan, who won the 2023 Doyles Art Award for Seaside Explorers, faces fresh accusations that her work copied a celebrated painter’s piece, intensifying scrutiny of originality in Australian awards.

The controversy centers on Allan’s winning piece being viewed as an imitation of Nicholas Harding’s painting, prompting questions about originality in the $20,000 prize.

Harding’s estate says influence is common but copying is unacceptable, stressing that attribution and honesty are required when presenting original works.

Harding’s family argues imitation differs from influence, underscoring the need for due diligence and respect for artists’ intellectual property.

Context notes highlight Basquiat’s themes of identity, sexuality, poverty, race, and power, while Allan describes Seaside Explorers as a portrait honoring her primary carer after a spinal injury.

Tensions persist between acknowledging influences and maintaining strict originality in prize submissions, with the National Portrait Gallery and the Doyles Award committee underscoring the seriousness of the allegations.

Media outlets, including The Guardian, are seeking responses from Allan and Basquiat’s estate as the Doyles Award, based on the Gold Coast, faces scrutiny.

The National Portrait Gallery notes Basquiat-related influence in Allan’s other work Weight of the Mind’s Periapt, alongside a prior acknowledgment at the prize that the piece showed influence.

Gallery comments reiterate that prizes require original artworks, with no further official statement on Basquiat-related similarities at this time.

Allegations escalate around Weight of the Mind’s Periapt, Allan’s 2022 Darling Portrait Prize winner, which critics say closely resembles Basquiat’s Untitled (Two Heads on Gold) in composition and subject matter.

Seaside Explorers features two beach figures whose pose and impasto recall Harding’s Two Estuary Figures, though Allan’s canvas is notably larger.

The Doyles Art Award committee is reviewing its procedures and considering changes as questions about creation, provenance, and disclosure emerge.