Art on Show

The Perth Royal Show might not be an event closely associated with Perth’s art world, but in fact the Perth Royal Art Prize been an important exhibition in the art calendar for over fifty years. The Royal Agricultural Society has a remit to celebrate the best of everything produced in Western Australia; and whilst cattle, cakes and canines might be the crowd pullers at the Claremont Showground each year, the Show is also a platform to showcase a whole lot more West Australian excellence.

Justin Walsh (1905-1997) was a Councillor at RASWA from 1962 to 1979. After a life of farming, Justin became closely involved with all things Royal Show (especially sheepdogs, horses and showjumping) as well as returning to his love of art; attending Midland Technical School and turning his hands to many projects, including sculpture, silverwork and making a harpsichord. His work was exhibited at the WA Museum and Art Gallery of WA in 1939, 1945 and again in 1995.  So if you assumed farmers are unlikely to be art lovers, think again. 

Justin was the driving force behind launching the Perth Royal Show Sponsored Art Purchase Exhibition in 1974. Categories were landscapes in oils, landscapes in watercolors and drawing. From its inception many notable people from the art world volunteered their services to select and judge entries, including Brian Mackay, Bryant McDiven and Elizabeth Durack; later Professor Ted Snell stepped in to judge the competition, from 1999-2003.   

As a supplementary competition, the Agricultural Art Award was introduced in 1990 where the art prize winners from regional Agricultural Society show could compete.  Another way that the Show brought ‘the country to the city’ each year, the event was very popular with country visitors who were in town to show their sheep or buy a tractor.

The Perth Royal Art Prize continues to this day and is now one of state’s premier art competitions. In 2025 RASWA presented a foyer exhibition Perth Royal Art Prize: Retrospective at the Perth Royal Art Prize and Perth Royal Show, to commemorate 50 years of Art on Show.