David Egan Wins 2026 Bayside Painting Prize with Decreation Machine
Melbourne-based artist David Egan has been awarded the 2026 Bayside Painting Prize, selected from forty-nine finalists. He received the $25,000 non-acquisitive Major Prize for his work Decreation machine (2025), an oil on canvas measuring 167.5 × 122cm. The painting engages with art history, specifically Antonello da Messina’s Renaissance Pieta (c.1476), through Egan’s personal painterly language, revealing painting’s capacity for reinvention. Betra Fraval won the $10,000 acquisitive Beckett Local Prize. The finalists’ exhibition is on view at Bayside Gallery until 14 June 2026.
Key facts
- David Egan won the 2026 Bayside Painting Prize.
- The prize is non-acquisitive and worth $25,000.
- Egan's winning work is titled Decreation machine, oil on canvas, 167.5 × 122cm.
- The work references Antonello da Messina's Renaissance painting Pieta, c.1476.
- Betra Fraval won the $10,000 acquisitive Beckett Local Prize.
- The finalists' exhibition is at Bayside Gallery until 14 June 2026.
- Egan is based in Melbourne.
- There were forty-nine finalists.
Entities
Artists
- David Egan
- Betra Fraval
- Antonello da Messina
Institutions
- Bayside Painting Prize
- Bayside Gallery
Locations
- Melbourne
- Australia