Renée Estée Wins $25,000 MA Art Prize at Sydney Contemporary 2026
Renée Estée, a painter based in Melbourne and New York, has been awarded the 2026 MA Art Prize, which comes with a $25,000 acquisitive prize, for her piece Empty Nest (we all wait for someone), 2026. This announcement occurred at Sydney Contemporary, where Estée is showcasing her work with COMA. The diptych, spanning three meters and measuring 198 × 300cm, is created using oil, acrylic, and charcoal on canvas. It delves into themes of departure, anticipation, and transformation, incorporating imagery such as eggs and nests. Estée's solo exhibition, One for Sorrow, Two for Joy, is set to run from 9 October to 14 November 2026. Details regarding the acquisition or the prize jury remain undisclosed.
Key facts
- Renée Estée won the 2026 MA Art Prize, a $25,000 acquisitive award.
- The winning work is Empty Nest (we all wait for someone), 2026.
- It is a three-metre-long diptych made with oil, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, measuring 198 × 300cm.
- Estée is exhibiting with COMA at Sydney Contemporary.
- Estée is based in Melbourne and New York.
- Her practice highlights mythmaking and rituals surrounding celebration, commemoration, and mourning.
- The work considers cycles of leaving, waiting, and becoming, with figures, eggs, nests, and a solitary bird in a yellow field.
- Estée's upcoming show at COMA, One for Sorrow, Two for Joy, runs 9 October to 14 November 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Renée Estée
Institutions
- COMA
- Sydney Contemporary
- MA Art Prize
Locations
- Melbourne
- Australia
- New York
- United States
- Sydney