Tony Costa

Born in Sydney in 1955 Costa studied at Julian Ashton and with Hungarian artist Desiderius Orban in the late 70s.  He completed Postgraduate studies at the City Art Institute Sydney in 1986. In 1988 he was selected to participate in the Triangle Artists Workshop in Pine Plains, New York.

Costa won the Archibald Prize (2019) with a portrait of leading contemporary artist and Zen Buddhist Lindy Lee, Paddington Art Prize (2014) with a work entitled Fallen Tree Port Hacking River R.N.P, Ashfield Prize (1979) with a work entitled Grand Valley, Victoria Pass. His works are held in both Corporate and Private collections.  A painter of both Landscapes and Portraiture he has exhibited in numerous solo exhibitions.

He has been a finalist in many Art prize exhibitions including Archibald Prize (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019), the Wynne Prize (1988, 2014), Sulman prize (2001), Dobell prize for Drawing (1999, 2004, 2008, 2012) at the Art Gallery of NSW. He has also been a finalist in the Doug Moran Prize for Portraiture (2004, 2007, 2011, 2015), Kilgour Prize for Portraiture (2013,2016, 2020), Paddington Art Prize for Landscape Painting (2004,2008, 2012, 2014) and the Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing (2006, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2019).

Costa’s interest lies in German Expressionism and is drawn to distortion and exaggerations, anything which makes for a more insistent image and one which is made from necessity.  More recently the works of the Neo Expressionists working in Europe known as the Transavanguardia. He is also drawn to 11 century Mosaics because of their ability to convey both spiritual and emotional content within a compressed space.

“All of my work begins with drawing from my direct contact with the subject, collecting information and sensations, the emotional feelings over and above the physical reality. The challenge for me is to trap the energy of my subject, all the things I cannot see. I am especially drawn to the unique rhythms of the Australian landscape. Ultimately the invention and the unity of the work is what matters most. I  am always interested in transcending appearances in order to discover new pictorial truths.” Tony Costa.

Congratulations to Art Atrium artists of getting the 2023 Fisher’s Ghost Art Award

Art Atrium at Sydney Contemporary – Jacqueline Balassa, Paul Connor, Tony Costa, Nick Ferguson and Dapeng Liu

Exhibition Opening – organised by Bruce Geng and Simon Chan – Sense

Artists in Conversation – Tony Costa, Tim Johnson and Lucy Wang with Simon Chan

Art Atrium Exhibition Opening – Tony Costa

Art Atrium Artists in Conversation – Tony Costa with Andrew Frost

Trapping Energies: Tony Costa’s Landscapes Catalogue Essay by Dr. Andrew Frost

Congratulations to Art Atrium Artist Tony Costa Winner of Art Gallery of NSW Archibald Prize 2019

Congratulations to Art Atrium Artist Tony Costa Art Gallery of NSW Archibald Prize Finalist 2019

Congratulations to Art Atrium Artist Tony Costa Art Gallery of NSW Archibald Prize Finalist 2018

Congratulations to Art Atrium Artist Tony Costa Art Gallery of NSW Archibald Prize Finalist 2017

Congratulations to Art Atrium Artist Tony Costa Art Gallery of NSW Archibald Prize Finalist 2015

Congratulations to Tony Costa Winner of Paddington Art Prize 2014

Art Atrium at Sydney Contemporary 2018 with Artists Kate Briscoe, Paul Connor, Tony Costa, Graham Kuo & Andrew Tomkins