{{Short description|Australian painter}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=June 2015}} [[File:Gheerhaets Allegory iconoclasm.jpg|thumb|His Archibald Prize winning painting was based on this print by Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder]] <!--FAIR USE of ARCHIBALD.jpg:see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/image:ARCHIBALD.jpg for rationale--> <!-- Deleted image removed: right|thumb|''The Paul Juraszek monolith (after Gheeraerts)'' by Marcus Wills, Winner of the Archibald Portrait Prize, 2006 --> '''Marcus Wills''' (born 1972) is an Australian painter, winner of the 2006 Archibald Prize and finalist in many other art competitions.
==Early life and education== Wills was born in Kaniva, Victoria in 1972.<ref name=arch2017/>
He studied for an Advanced Certificate of Art and Design between 1989 and 1991 at the Wimmera Community College of TAFE (now Federation University Australia's Horsham Campus). He graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1995.<ref name=feduni>{{cite web | title=Marcus Wills (1972-) | website=Federation University Australia | date=17 July 2013 | url=https://federation.edu.au/about-us/our-university/history/geoffrey-blainey-research-centre/honour-roll/w/marcus-wills-1972- | access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref>
==Career== His work has been displayed in a number of exhibitions, and he has held solo exhibitions in Melbourne since 1992. He paints in the style which mixes figurative and realist styles.<ref name=arch2017/>
==Awards== He was the winner of the 2006 Archibald Prize for his painting of ''The Paul Juraszek Monolith'', which was based on an engraving by Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder.<ref>{{cite web|website=Henry Thornton |first=Fiona |last=Prior|url=http://www.henrythornton.com/article.asp?article_id=3925 |title=2006 Archibald Prize Winner|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711163421/http://www.henrythornton.com/article.asp?article_id=3925 |archive-date=11 July 2011|date=24 March 2006}}</ref>
In 2000, he won the second Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/media/archives_2000/brett_whiteley_travelling_scholarship_wi |website=Art Gallery of New South Wales|title=Brett Whiteley Travelling Scholarship Winner 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203001807/http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/media/archives_2000/brett_whiteley_travelling_scholarship_wi |archive-date=3 December 2008 |date=Sep 2000}}</ref>
He has been a finalist in the Sir John Sulman Prize (2003, 2010 and 2013) and Wynne Prize (2010).<ref name=arch2016/>
He was a finalist of the Archibald Prize in 2015 with ''El cabeceo'',<ref name=arch2015>{{cite web | title=Archibald Prize Archibald 2015 finalist: El cabeceo by Marcus Wills | website=Art Gallery of New South Wales | url=https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2015/29619/ | access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref> 2016 with ''The ersatz (James Batchelor)''.,<ref name=arch2016>{{cite web | title=Archibald Prize Archibald 2016 finalist: The ersatz (James Batchelor) by Marcus Wills | website=Art Gallery of New South Wales | url=https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2016/29730/ | access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref> 2018 and 2020 with ''Requiem (JR)'' (Portrait of Jack Riley).
In 2017 he was again a finalist in the Archibald, with a portrait of filmmaker Thomas M. Wright called ''Antagonist, Protagonist (Thomas M. Wright)''. Wills set up the scene to look like a crime drama, with Wright as protagonist.<ref name=arch2017>{{cite web | title=Archibald Prize Archibald 2017 finalist: Protagonist, antagonist (Thomas M Wright) by Marcus Wills | website=Art Gallery of New South Wales | url=https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2017/29858/ | access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref>
He was a finalist for the 2024 Archibald Prize with a portrait of ballet dancer Callum Linnane.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Archibald Prize Archibald 2024 work: Callum by Marcus Wills |url=https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2024/30682/ |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=Art Gallery of New South Wales |language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-ach|aw}} {{s-bef|before=John Olsen}} {{s-ttl|title=Archibald Prize|years=2006<br/>for ''The Paul Juraszek Monolith''}} {{s-aft|after=John Beard}} {{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wills, Marcus}} Category:Australian painters Category:Archibald Prize winners Category:Living people Category:1972 births Category:Victorian College of the Arts alumni Category:Federation University Australia alumni Category:Archibald Prize finalists Category:Wynne Prize