From the Archives, 1971: Archibald winner waited 25 years
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From the Archives, 1971: Archibald winner waited 25 years
When artist Eric Smith came runner up in the 1945 Archibald Prize, his first thought was "I'll win it next year". A quarter of a century later, it finally happened.
By Lenore Nicklin
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Sydney Morning Herald on January 23, 1971.
Eric Smith yesterday won the Archibald Prize, Australia's top art prize for portraiture, but it took rather longer than he expected.
Twenty-five years ago, when he was serving as a driver in the Australian Army, he submitted his first Archibald entry, a self-portrait. He was runner-up.