In the Studio with Fintan Magee
Gus Eagleton
- Sitter: Fintan Magee
- Medium: Acrylic and aerosol on canvas
- Dimensions: 78cm x 104cm
- Representation: This artist represents themselves
2025 Lord Mayor's Prize
Proudly supported by
Brisbane City Council
About the artwork
Australian street artist Fintan Magee grew up and started his career here in Brisbane. He is now globally recognised for his large-scale contemporary murals in cities including London, Vienna, Miami, Buenos Aires, Rome and Moscow, to name a few.
The artist first met Magee in Brisbane in 2010, back when Eagleton was studying fine art and painting graffiti.
“We were heading out to paint an abandoned building when I asked him what he did for work. He said, ‘What do you mean? I do this. I paint murals and make art.’ That experience reframed my perspective, revealing that painting held the potential to be not just a passion, but a lifelong vocation.
In this painting, Magee is depicted twice in a studio setting, capturing two distinct aspects of his artistic identity. One figure is confident, present and proud of the work he is creating. The second sits slumped on the couch, unsure and contemplative. The colour palette is deliberately muted yet richly painted, drawing focus to the artist Magee himself.
About the artist
Brisbane-based artist Gus Eagleton brings walls to life with contemporary large-scale murals. He completed a Bachelor of Fine Art at Queensland College of Art in 2013. Eagleton’s practice revolves around the poetics of everyday life. By fusing imagery from different perspectives, times and locations, he creates vibrant visual narratives that reimagine the ordinary as something extraordinary.
Judge's Notes
Gus Eagleton’s portrait of fellow artist Fintan Magee is exceptionally accomplished conceptually and technically. The composition is testing – it pushes its subject to the very edge of the canvas, indeed beyond the picture plane, yet it is beautifully balanced. It is an unusual double portrait of the same subject and its literal merging of the body to suggest only three legs instead of four is a captivating, intriguing anchor to the picture.
The sinuous line of Magee’s left arm is echoed by the supple linearity of the sofa and its patterned upholstery. Eagleton’s virtuoso painting of an everyday interior is the stage for a carefully and touchingly observed portrait of a friend. What I imagine, and feel, to be an essence of Magee’s character and nature emanates from the canvas and gices this work a special visual power and subtle energy.
Jason Smith, Director, Art Gallery of South Australia
Chief Judge, 2025
