Angus McDonald
Biography
Angus McDonald is an award-winning artist and documentary filmmaker. He studied painting at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney (1993-1995), winning the school's Brett Whiteley Scholarship in 1994. He continued his studies at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy in 1999 & 2000.
Since 1995, McDonald has staged more than 30 solo exhibitions across Australia & internationally. In 2007 he travelled to Antarctica as the expedition artist for the Mawson’s Huts Foundation and returned in 2009.
McDonald has been a frequent finalist in numerous national art awards including Australia’s biggest art competition, the Archibald Prize, where he has been selected as a finalist on six occasions. In 2020, his portrait of Kurdish Iranian writer and filmmaker, Behrouz Boochani, received the Archibald Prize’s People’s Choice Award.
His work is held in public and private collections including the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Art Gallery of NSW.
In 2017, McDonald created a film project to advocate for more humanitarian approaches to managing the welfare of forcibly displaced people seeking asylum. The project comprised a selection of short films and interviews about current refugee approaches and human rights, filmed in Australia and on trips he made to Greece, Jordan and Lebanon.
In 2019, McDonald directed & produced his first film, ”MANUS”, a documentary short about refugees & asylum seekers held for years under brutal conditions by the Australian federal government on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. The documentary centred on testimonials of numerous men held offshore, secretly filmed by Walkley award-winning journalist Olivia Rousset.
MANUS won multiple awards and nominations at film festivals in Australia and internationally. MANUS also qualified for selection at the 2020 Academy Awards in the Documentary Short category.
In 2023, he co-produced and directed his first feature documentary. The project, titled “Freedom Is Beautiful”, supported by Amnesty International, premiered at the 2023 Sydney Film Festival. It was awarded Best Documentary at the 2023 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival and Best Film, Honourable Mention at the 2023 Byron Bay International Film Festival. It tells the story of two remarkable Kurdish refugees who were held for 8 years by the Federal Government under its hard-line offshore processing policy. McDonald co-produced the project with award-winning French film producer, Mélita Toscan Du Plantier.
McDonald is a committee member for Human Rights Watch Australia and is currently completing his Masters degree in International Politics.
His next exhibition, “UNHINGED” will take place in Australia in 2024.
McDonald lives with his family in Lennox Head in northern NSW.
Selected Prizes & Awards
Exhibitions
Forthcoming
UNHINGED, Sydney, 2024
Selected Artwork
Prints
Percentage of sale donated to Children's Ground (https://childrensground.org.au/)
All 20 archival prints are limited editions of 100 and are hand signed and numbered by the artist. Artworks are Giclee printed on 100% smooth Hahnemühle German Etching 100gsm museum grade fine art paper.
UNHINGED Exhibition
Behrooz Boochani
Oil on Canvas
160 cm x 230cm
Archibald Prize 2020
People's Choice Award Winner
2016
Oil on Canvas
200cm x 225cm
Tweed Regional Gallery
2012
16cm x 21cm
Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Jug On A Bench
A$750.00
Jug On A Bench original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
37 x 56 cm
Pitcher And Bowl
A$750.00
Pitcher and Bowl original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
64 x 36 cm
Bottle Pear & Vase
A$630.00
Bottle Pear & Vase original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
50 x 40 cm
Tangelos
A$630.00
Tangelos original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
50 x 42 cm
Pear
A$480.00
Pear original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
25 x 25 cm
Melon
A$750.00
Melon original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
48 x 56 cm
Melons
A$630.00
Melons original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
43 x 50 cm
Lilies
A$750.00
Lilies original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
55 x 47 cm
Tangelo & Bottle
A$480.00
Tangelo & Bottle original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
27 x 31 cm
Two Apples
A$480.00
Two Apples original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
27 x 31 cm
Aubergine
A$480.00
Aubergine original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
27 x 31 cm
Dove I
A$630.00
Dove I original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
39 x 39 cm
Dove II
A$630.00
Dove II original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
39 x 39 cm
Ambassador
A$750.00
Ambassador original artwork by Angus McDonald, charcoal and chalk on washed paper
43 x 64 cm
Sedley
A$750.00
Sedley original artwork by Angus McDonald, charcoal and chalk on washed paper
43 x 64 cm
Malcolm
A$750.00
Malcolm original artwork by Angus McDonald, charcoal and chalk on washed paper
40 x 64 cm
Head In The Clouds
A$750.00
Head in the Clouds original artwork by Angus McDonald, charcoal and chalk on washed
paper
42 x 64 cm
Oracion
A$750.00
Oracion original artwork by Angus McDonald, charcoal and chalk on washed paper
64 x 44 cm
Horse III
A$750.00
Horse III original artwork by Angus McDonald, charcoal and chalk on washed paper
47 x 59 cm
Higher Ground
A$750.00
Higher Ground original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
40 x 64 cm
Films
MANUS
Life Is Beautiful
Press
Art After Hours Online: Behrouz Boochani and Angus McDonald in conversation with Benjamin Law
Watch here
Portrait of Behrouz Boochani by Angus McDonald wins Archibald people's choice award
ABC News
Read here
Angus McDonald talks with Maria Stoljar on winning the Archibald People's Choice Award
Watch here
Freedom is Beautiful: People’s Choice Archibald Prize Winning Artist Angus McDonald Talks About His Journey to Becoming an Activist Filmmaker
Read here
ANGUS MCDONALD: LESSONS OF HISTORY
Article in Art Collector
Read here
Meet the filmmaker
Byron Bay Film Festival
Read Here
Angus McDonald
Biography
Angus McDonald is an award-winning artist and documentary filmmaker. He studied painting at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney (1993-1995), winning the school's Brett Whiteley Scholarship in 1994. He continued his studies at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy in 1999 & 2000.
Since 1995, McDonald has staged more than 30 solo exhibitions across Australia & internationally. In 2007 he travelled to Antarctica as the expedition artist for the Mawson’s Huts Foundation and returned in 2009.
McDonald has been a frequent finalist in numerous national art awards including Australia’s biggest art competition, the Archibald Prize, where he has been selected as a finalist on six occasions. In 2020, his portrait of Kurdish Iranian writer and filmmaker, Behrouz Boochani, received the Archibald Prize’s People’s Choice Award.
His work is held in public and private collections including the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Art Gallery of NSW.
In 2017, McDonald created a film project to advocate for more humanitarian approaches to managing the welfare of forcibly displaced people seeking asylum. The project comprised a selection of short films and interviews about current refugee approaches and human rights, filmed in Australia and on trips he made to Greece, Jordan and Lebanon.
In 2019, McDonald directed & produced his first film, ”MANUS”, a documentary short about refugees & asylum seekers held for years under brutal conditions by the Australian federal government on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. The documentary centred on testimonials of numerous men held offshore, secretly filmed by Walkley award-winning journalist Olivia Rousset.
MANUS won multiple awards and nominations at film festivals in Australia and internationally. MANUS also qualified for selection at the 2020 Academy Awards in the Documentary Short category.
In 2023, he co-produced and directed his first feature documentary. The project, titled “Freedom Is Beautiful”, supported by Amnesty International, premiered at the 2023 Sydney Film Festival. It was awarded Best Documentary at the 2023 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival and Best Film, Honourable Mention at the 2023 Byron Bay International Film Festival. It tells the story of two remarkable Kurdish refugees who were held for 8 years by the Federal Government under its hard-line offshore processing policy. McDonald co-produced the project with award-winning French film producer, Mélita Toscan Du Plantier.
McDonald is a committee member for Human Rights Watch Australia and is currently completing his Masters degree in International Politics.
His next exhibition, “UNHINGED” will take place in Australia in 2024.
McDonald lives with his family in Lennox Head in northern NSW.
Selected Prizes & Awards
Exhibitions
Forthcoming
UNHINGED, Sydney, 2024
Selected Artwork
Prints
All 20 archival prints are limited editions of 100 and are hand signed and numbered by the artist. Artworks are Giclee printed on 100% smooth Hahnemühle German Etching 100gsm museum grade fine art paper. Percentage of sale donated to Children's Ground (https://childrensground.org.au/
UNHINGED Exhibition
Behrooz Boochani
Oil on Canvas
160 cm x 230cm
Archibald Prize 2020
People's Choice Award Winner
2016
Oil on Canvas
200cm x 225cm
Tweed Regional Gallery
2012
16cm x 21cm
Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Jug On A Bench
A$750.00
Jug On A Bench original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
37 x 56 cm
Pitcher And Bowl
A$750.00
Pitcher and Bowl original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
64 x 36 cm
Bottle Pear & Vase
A$630.00
Bottle Pear & Vase original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
50 x 40 cm
Tangelos
A$630.00
Tangelos original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
50 x 42 cm
Pear
A$480.00
Pear original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
25 x 25 cm
Melon
A$750.00
Melon original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
48 x 56 cm
Melons
A$630.00
Melons original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
43 x 50 cm
Lilies
A$750.00
Lilies original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
55 x 47 cm
Tangelo & Bottle
A$480.00
Tangelo & Bottle original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
27 x 31 cm
Two Apples
A$480.00
Two Apples original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
27 x 31 cm
Aubergine
A$480.00
Aubergine original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
27 x 31 cm
Dove I
A$630.00
Dove I original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
39 x 39 cm
Dove II
A$630.00
Dove II original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
39 x 39 cm
Ambassador
A$750.00
Ambassador original artwork by Angus McDonald, charcoal and chalk on washed paper
43 x 64 cm
Sedley
A$750.00
Sedley original artwork by Angus McDonald, charcoal and chalk on washed paper
43 x 64 cm
Malcolm
A$750.00
Malcolm original artwork by Angus McDonald, charcoal and chalk on washed paper
40 x 64 cm
Head In The Clouds
A$750.00
Head in the Clouds original artwork by Angus McDonald, charcoal and chalk on washed
paper
42 x 64 cm
Oracion
A$750.00
Oracion original artwork by Angus McDonald, charcoal and chalk on washed paper
64 x 44 cm
Horse III
A$750.00
Horse III original artwork by Angus McDonald, charcoal and chalk on washed paper
47 x 59 cm
Higher Ground
A$750.00
Higher Ground original artwork by Angus McDonald, oil on canvas
40 x 640 cm
Films
MANUS
Life Is Beautiful
Press
Art After Hours Online: Behrouz Boochani and Angus McDonald in conversation with Benjamin Law
Watch here
Portrait of Behrouz Boochani by Angus McDonald wins Archibald people's choice award
ABC News
Read here
Angus McDonald talks with Maria Stoljar on winning the Archibald People's Choice Award
Watch here
Freedom is Beautiful: People’s Choice Archibald Prize Winning Artist Angus McDonald Talks About His Journey to Becoming an Activist Filmmaker
Read here
ANGUS MCDONALD: LESSONS OF HISTORY
Article in Art Collector
Read here
Meet the filmmaker
Byron Bay Film Festival
Read Here
TAYLOR BLOODWORTH
artists collectors brands
+61 040 7925 160
© TAYLOR BLOODWORTH 2024
TAYLOR BLOODWORTH
artists collectors brands
+61 040 7925 160
© TAYLOR BLOODWORTH 2024