Mitch Cairns (born 1984) is an Australian painter. In 2017, he won the Archibald Prize. [1] His work has been collected by many prominent Australian institutions. [2]
Cairns was born in the Sydney suburb of Camden and grew up in Casula and later Wollongong. He studied at the National Art School during which time he worked as a labourer for his father, a bricklayer. [3] [4]
Cairns won the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship in 2012. [5] With the scholarship, Cairns undertook a residency in Paris. [2] In 2017, Cairns won the Archibald Prize for his painting Agatha Gothe-Snape. [1] Former Archibald winner John Olsen criticised the decision to award the prize to Cairns, describing it as "the worst decision I've ever seen." [6] The decision was defended by artist and prize judge Ben Quilty who praised Cairns and the portrait. [7]
Cairns is married to fellow artist Agatha Gothe-Snape with whom he has a son. [8] [1]
Cairns' work has been noted for its geometric character and bold colours. New Zealand artist Tom Kreisler is among his influences. [2]