Vladas Meškėnas

Who is Vladas Meškėnas?

Vladas Meškėnas is an Australian–Lithuanian artist, who has been a frequent Archibald Prize finalist.

He moved to Sydney, Australia, as a displaced person in 1949 and there joined the Sydney Lithuanian artists' group "Aitvaras", established in 1950, which included Jurgis Bistrickas, Henry Salkauskas, Algis Simkunas, Vladas Meskenas, Jurgis Miksevicius, Juozas Kalgovas, Vincas Stanevicius, Petras Repsys, Viktoras Simas and later Vaclovas Ratas.

His 1961 portrait of Weaver Hawkins was a notable entrant in the 1961 Archibald Prize contest, and a 1963 portrait of Hawkins and his wife was entered for the 1963 Sulman Prize. A portrait won the Helena Rubinstein portrait prize in 1963. He successfully sued for libel Edmund Capon, director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, for calling his portrait of businessman Rene Rivkin " ... a rotten picture ... no good at all ...". His portrait of Donald Friend won the Archibald's Peoples Choice Award in 1989. His portrait of Dr Victor Chang was a notable finalist in the 1991/92 Archibald, as was his 1993 portrait of Fred Hollows. The Victor Chang portrait was later notoriously mis-attributed by Woman's Day. He was a successful finalist for the Moran Prize in 1990 for Donald Friend and in 1992 for David Foster O.A.M.