portraits of two Australian Prime Ministers: Sir Arthur Fadden and Sir John McEwen. Other famous Australians who sat for him included Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, Dame Enid Lyons and Margaret Court. Other commissions included General John Baker, Chief of the Australian Defence Force. He held positions on several gallery boards, serving on the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board for twenty years. Between 1946 and 1953, he was head of the Victorian Art School at the National Gallery of Victoria. While he is best known for his portraits, he also painted other works, such as smaller interior views, landscapes and still lifes. William Dargie died in Melbourne on 26 July 2003, aged 91, two months after the death of his wife Kathleen (née Howlitt). He was a Freemason. Archibald Prize Dargie won the Archibald Prize more times than any other artist. His winning portraits are: 1941 - Sir James Elder, KBE (Image) 1942 - Corporal Jim Gordon, VC (Image) 1945 - Lt-General The Hon Edmund Herring, KBC, DSO, MC, ED (Image) 1946 - L C Robson, MC, MA (Image) 1947 - Sir Marcus Clark, Kt., K.B.E. [sic] (Image) 1950 - Sir Leslie McConnan (Image) 1952 - Mr Essington Lewis, CH (Image) 1956 - Mr Albert Namatjira (Image) Honours Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), 1 January 1960, "Member of the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board" Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), 1 January 1969, "Member of the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board" Knight Bachelor, 13 June 1970, "In recognition of service to the arts" Centenary Medal, 1 January 2001, "For service to Australian society and art" Further reading Dargie: 50 Years of Portraits (1985), Gallery 499 (includes an interview with Dargie) See also Art of Australia References External links portrait.gov.au Artists Footsteps William Dargie at Australian Art 1912 births 2003 deaths Artists from Melbourne Australian portrait painters Australian war artists Archibald Prize winners Australian Knights Bachelor Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Centenary Medal World War II artists Australian Freemasons 20th-century Australian painters 20th-century Australian male artists Australian male painters People from Footscray, Victoria Australian military personnel of World War II Military personnel from Melbourne