Natasha Walsh finalist in 2024 Archibald Prize

Natasha Walsh is a finalist in the 2024 Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW with her work The Marriage of Nicol and Ford,

 

Fashion designers Katie-Louise and Lilian Nicol-Ford are the masterminds behind the high-concept, inclusive and imaginative demi-couture label Nicol & Ford. They are also married.

 

Asked by Natasha Walsh which historical artwork they would like to reimagine, they chose the celebrated French painting Gabrielle d’Estrées and one of her sisters c1594 by an unknown artist, now in the Louvre, Paris.

 

It portrays Gabrielle d’Estrées, the mistress of Henry IV of France, sitting naked in a bath with her sister, who is pinching her nipple. In a room behind a curtain, a woman sews baby clothes. The painting is thought to allude to d’Estrées’ royal pregnancy.

 

‘We were drawn to the debate surrounding the work’s Sapphic undertones and the intended audience for this eroticised performance,’ says Walsh, a seven-time Archibald finalist.

 

‘Katie and Lil wanted to reimagine it through an explicitly queer lens. In our version, it becomes a celebration of their relationship and combined creativity through the birth of Nicol & Ford. The room behind the curtain is now a version of their studio where a duplicate Katie sits sewing, their dog Maestro at her feet. Katie and Lil are nude without being naked; revealing while retaining their private selves.’

 

Natasha Walsh
The Marriage of Nicol and Ford, 2023
oil on copper
38 x 50 cm
30 May 2024