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Australian artist Jane Allan accused of copying artworks to win prizes

3 hours ago3 articles from 2 sources

Consensus Summary

Australian artist Jane Allan is facing accusations of copying two well-known artworks to win major prizes. In 2025, she won the $20,000 The Doyles Landscape Art Award for *Seaside Explorers*, which was later revealed to be a near-identical copy of Nicholas Harding’s 2011 painting *Two Estuary Figures*, scaled up from 20 x 25 cm to 120 x 90 cm. The Doyles committee, which is voluntary, discovered the imitation nearly a year after the award and is now investigating how it was overlooked, as well as exploring legal action to recover the prize money. Separately, Allan’s 2022 painting *Weight of the Mind’s Periapt*, which won a $2,000 Art Handler’s award at the National Portrait Gallery, was found to closely resemble Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1982 work *Untitled (Two Heads on Gold)*. The National Portrait Gallery acknowledged the influence but stated its rules require original submissions. Art experts and dealers, including Sasha Grishin and Philip Bacon, have condemned Allan’s works as ‘blatant copies,’ though Harding’s original was not a widely recognized piece. Allan has not publicly commented on the allegations, and the incidents have prompted calls for stricter verification processes in future art competitions.

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Key details reported by multiple sources:

  • Jane Allan won The Doyles Landscape Art Award in 2025 with her painting *Seaside Explorers*, which was later revealed to be a copy of Nicholas Harding’s *Two Estuary Figures* (2011).
  • The Doyles award is worth $20,000, and the committee is investigating whether the prize money can be recovered from Allan.
  • Jane Allan’s painting *Weight of the Mind’s Periapt* (2022) bears similarities to Jean-Michel Basquiat’s *Untitled (Two Heads on Gold)* (1982) and won the $2,000 Art Handler’s award at the National Portrait Gallery.
  • Gold Coast City councillor Glenn Tozer, who sponsors The Doyles, confirmed the committee is reviewing how to prevent future cases of imitation and is discussing legal action with Allan.
  • The National Portrait Gallery acknowledged that Allan’s *Weight of the Mind’s Periapt* was ‘clearly influenced by’ Basquiat but stated the gallery requires artists to submit original works.
  • Nicholas Harding’s original *Two Estuary Figures* (2011) measured 20 x 25 cm and sold at auction for $14,000, while Allan’s *Seaside Explorers* was scaled up to 120 x 90 cm.
  • The Doyles committee discovered the imitation nearly 12 months after Allan won the prize, prompting an investigation into how it was overlooked.

Points of Difference

Details reported by only one source:

ABC News
  • Art historian Sasha Grishin stated Allan’s works are ‘clear imitations’ and ‘not original, authentic works by the artist,’ relying heavily on Basquiat and Harding.
  • The ABC could not directly reach Allan for comment in either article.
  • The Doyles committee’s statement described the imitation as a ‘threat from within the local art community’ and thanked the community for reporting it.
  • Philip Bacon, a Queensland art dealer, called Allan’s work a ‘blatant copy’ and noted Harding’s original was not a famous piece, which may explain why the imitation went unnoticed.
The Guardian
  • The Guardian approached the Basquiat estate for comment but did not receive a response.
  • Allan’s artist statement for *Weight of the Mind’s Periapt* described the work as a portrait of her ‘inspirational primary carer’ after a spinal cord injury from a truck accident.
  • The Doyles committee’s Facebook post explicitly stated: ‘Never did we expect a threat from within our own art community.’

Contradictions

Conflicting information between sources:

  • The ABC states Allan’s *Seaside Explorers* was titled *Seaside Explorers*, while the Guardian refers to it as *SEASIDE EXPLORERS* (all caps) in Allan’s original blurb, though this is likely a stylistic difference rather than a contradiction.
  • The ABC describes Allan’s 2022 work as a finalist in the *Darling Portrait Prize*, while the Guardian does not specify the prize name but confirms it was a finalist in a ‘prestigious’ portrait prize.

Source Articles

ABC

Award-winning artist accused of copying second artwork

Australian artist Jane Allan, revealed to have previously copied another painter's work, is being accused of a second case of imitation.

5 hours ago
ABC

Award-winning artwork revealed as 'blatant copy'

The Doyles award committee is investigating why it took nearly 12 months to discover a winning landscape painting was an imitation of another artist's work.

Yesterday
GUARDIAN

Artist accused of winning prize with ‘imitation’ won Australian award with piece ‘influenced’ by Basquiat

Jane Allan’s winning Darling portrait prize painting has raised eyebrows after her Doyles art award piece was compared to artist Nicholas Harding An Australian painter was “clearly influenced” by New York artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in a major prize-winning work, according to the National Portrait Gallery, after she was accused of winning a separate $20,000 prize with “an imitation” of a Nicholas Harding piece. The National Portrait Gallery has declined to comment further on the marked similarit

9 hours ago