The Picture of 2026: Portrait of 'Alex with His Tefillin in the Sea' Wins Australia's Most Prestigious Award
Australian artist Michael Zavros has won the prestigious Archibald Prize for portraiture with his painting of Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. The work, titled 'Alex with His Tefillin in the Sea,' was created just weeks after the Bondi Beach terror attack in December 2025. Zavros also won the People's Choice Award with 45,769 votes, the highest number ever recorded.
Australian artist Michael Zavros has won the Archibald Prize, Australia's most prestigious art award for portraiture, for his portrait of Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ). The painting, titled 'Alex with His Tefillin in the Sea,' was created just weeks after the terror attack on Bondi Beach in Sydney, in which 15 people were killed. Zavros won the prize on Thursday, and alongside the main prize, he also won the People's Choice Award, with 45,769 votes – the highest number ever. Zavros, born in 1974 in Brisbane, is known for his realistic paintings. He said the portrait was inspired by Ryvchin's leadership and their remarkable resemblance. Ryvchin, whose home was firebombed in 2025 in an antisemitic attack, said the painting gives immense meaning to the Jewish community, especially against the backdrop of the royal commission into antisemitism. The gallery director, Maud Page, called the painting 'the picture of 2026.'