Australian Artist Jane Allan Accused of Copying Basquiat and Harding

Australian artist Jane Allan faces allegations of copying works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Nicholas Harding in two award-winning paintings. Brisbane art dealer Philip Bacon, associated with Harding's estate, called Allan's painting 'Seaside Explorers' (2025) a 'blatant copy' of Harding's 'Two Estuary Figures' (2011), noting similarities in figure placement, canvas treatment, and rock and sea positioning. The work won the 2025 Doyles Art Award's landscape prize in Gold Coast, earning AUD 20,000 (USD 13,800). The Doyles committee issued a statement on June 19 confirming they are treating the matter seriously. Co-founder Jennefer Doyle expressed disappointment, calling it 'a disgrace.' City councilor and award sponsor Glenn Tozer stated the committee is discussing retrieval of the cash prize with Allan and lawyers. Separately, the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra announced that Allan's 'Weight of the Mind's Periapt' (2021) bears clear similarities to Basquiat's 'Untitled (Two Heads on Gold)' (1982). That work was a finalist in the 2022 Darling Portrait Prize and won the AUD 2,000 (USD 1,380) Art Handlers' Award. Allan had described it as a tribute to her primary carer after a road accident left her with a spinal cord injury. A gallery spokesperson noted that entrants must declare submissions as original, and staff had recognized the Basquiat influence when the work was submitted. Neither Allan nor the Basquiat estate has commented publicly.