Tonight | Portrait Artist of the Year on ABC: Kirk Pengilly sits for the grand final – Three finalists face their last four-hour portrait challenge as Australian rock musician Kirk Pengilly takes the sitter chair. Portrait Artist of the Year airs Sunday 4 October 2026 at 7.30pm on ABC and ABC iview.
The final tests how differently three artists can respond to the same sitter after six heats and a semi-final narrowed a field of 54.
The final portrait challenge
Harley Kirkwood, Jasmine Lancaster and Liz Gridley are the three remaining artists. Each has four hours to complete a portrait of Pengilly, best known for his work with INXS.
The contest has moved from six heats through a semi-final to this final sitting. Pengilly gives the artists a subject whose image is familiar to Australian music audiences, but their task is to produce an individual portrait rather than reproduce a photograph.
All three finalists work from the same sitter under the same time limit. The finale will show the paintings that result and decide the season two winner without a further round.
Portrait Artist of the Year Grand Final airs Sunday 4 October 2026 at 7.30pm on ABC and ABC iview.
Find more ABC coverage on TV Central, and visit ABC iview for more details.
RelatedPosts
