Unveiled | In Conversation with Vincent Fantauzzo - MELBOURNE | WED 21 MAY - AM

We are delighted to invite you to the Fantauzzo Gallery for an In Conversation event with award-winning artist Vincent Fantauzzo, including a private tour of the Fantauzzo Gallery and a discussion of his new book, Unveiled followed by an exclusive book signing.

• Date: Wednesday 21 May 2025
• Time: 11.00am - 12.30pm
• Location: Fantauzzo Gallery - 464 Chapel St, South Yarra
• Hospitality: Morning tea with sparkling and soft drinks

Program overview

• Fantauzzo Gallery tour
• In conversation with Vincent Fantauzzo
• Book signing

Unveiled

The incredible true story of how a street-fighting petty criminal, who was kicked out of school at fourteen, became one of Australia’s most celebrated and successful portrait artists. Raised amid poverty and violence on the streets of Melbourne, Vincent Fantauzzo was just a boy when he accepted he would either die very young, become a gangster or end up behind bars. Tormented by a troubled home life and dismissed as a simpleton at school where he struggled to read and write, Vincent projected a violent and frightening persona as a means of self-protection. Inside that tough exterior, however, lived a thoughtful, sensitive and creative boy whose only wish was to be loved – and to one day break free of the intergenerational dysfunction he seemed doomed to inherit. He could never have imagined how far his dream of a better life – and an uncanny knack for drawing – would take him.

‘Breathtaking, beguiling and brutal. I wanted to reach in and steal that beautiful boy away from all the honesty. I wanted to run with him. I wanted to read, laugh, scrap, cry and draw with him. Keep drawing, kid. Just keep drawing! At last we have the answer to how Vincent Fantauzzo is able to capture all those human portraits with such perfection: the man has lived every sorrow, every fear, every pain, every wild joy to be found in the human experience. It is all here in these pages, too. Wonder, most of all. Read it. Please, please read it.’ Trent Dalton

Vincent Fantauzzo

Born in England and grew up in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. Fantauzzo emerged onto the portrait scene when his portrait of his friend Heath Ledger won the People’s Choice Award at the 2008 Archibald Prize. The painting was acquired for the Art Gallery of New South Wales Collection, and Fantauzzo won the People’s Choice Award again in 2009, 2013 and 2014. In 2011, his Archibald-shortlisted portrait of chef Matt Moran won the Packing Room Prize; and his painting of director Baz Luhrmann was awarded the Moran National Portrait Prize the same year. In 2018, he was commissioned by the Historic Memorials Committee to create the official portrait of Julia Gillard for the Parliament House Collection. The National Portrait Gallery commissioned Fantauzzo in 2020 to create a portrait of Hugh Jackman, the first representation of the famed Australian for the Collection.

Fantauzzo Gallery

Fantauzzo Gallery stands as a beacon of premium, luxury art. It offers an immersive environment where each visitor can experience art in its most captivating form combined with unique insights into the world of artist in residence Vincent Fantauzzo. From curated exhibitions to exclusive events and interactive experiences, the Gallery is designed to inspire, connect, and elevate your art appreciation journey.

For further information, please contact Katie Flockart on 0419 148 208.

We look forward to celebrating art, stories, and creativity with you.

Vincent Fantauzzo and the Fantauzzo Gallery team