Academic Qualifications
2001 Master of Fine Arts, UNSW COFA Sydney
1993 Master of Art, UNSW COFA Sydney
1992 Bachelor of Visual Arts, University of Sydney SCA
1995 Diploma of Education, University of Sydney
1989 Associate Diploma of Expressive/Performing arts (with Distinction), UNSW SCAE
Study Sabbaticals – Research
2011 Study & Research of ‘women’ artists of the Renaissance & Baroque periods, Italy.
2004 Study of Italian Florentine, Renaissance and Baroque painting across Italy.
Solo Exhibitions
2021 CURRENTLY WORKING ON: ‘Surviving a Brain Tumour’ solo exhibition.
2019 Lost Thylacine, Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham, Sydney.
2018 ‘The Wonthaggi Monster’, ArtSpace Wonthaggi, Victoria.
2016 ‘The Last Reunion’ (A portrayal of Judy Cassab AO CBE & Charles Blackman MBE), Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham, Sydney
2015 ‘Lost Child Somewhere in Hill End’, Customs House, Sydney
2015 ‘Lost Child Somewhere Between Mount Carcalgong & Hill End’, Fairview Artspace, Mudgee
2015 Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham Sydney
2014 ‘Lost Child in the Bush’, Fairview Artspace, Mudgee, NSW
2014 ‘Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham Sydney
2007-2016 Annually – Annual Solo & Pre-Archibald Entry Preview, Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham.
2013 Retrospective – The Fringe Festival, Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham, Sydney
2013 Portraits of Prominent and Everyday Australians, Newtown Library, Newtown
2013 Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham. Sydney
2012 Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham. Sydney
2011 Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham. Sydney
2011 Italo-Australians, comune di Sicilia, Enna, Italy
2010 Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham. Sydney
2009 Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham. Sydney
2008 Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham. Sydney
2007 Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham. Sydney
2002 Triggers of Memory – Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Paddington. Sydney
Group Exhibitions
2021 The Adelaide Perry Prize, Sydney
2020 Summer Sojourn, Art Atrium
2020 The Paddington Art Prize, Sydney
2020 The Hurford Hardwood Portrait Prize, Lismore Regional Gallery
2020 The Lester Prize for Portraiture, Perth Regional Gallery
2020 Portia Geach Memorial Award, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Observatory Hill, Sydney
2020 Percival Prize for Portraiture, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville
2020 Glover Art Prize, Tasmania
2020 Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing, Adelaide Perry Gallery, Sydney
2019 Fishers Ghost Art Prize (main section), Campbelltown Regional Art Gallery
2019 Naracoorte National Art Prize, Naracoorte, South Australia
2019 Lethbridge Small Scale Art Prize, Lethbridge Gallery, Queensland
2018 Kangaroo Valley Art Prize, Kangaroo Valley
2018 Kilgour Art Prize, Newcastle Regional Gallery, Newcastle
2018 Movers & Shapers, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, Hazelhurst
2018 Percival Portrait Prize, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville, Queensland
2017 Portia Geach Memorial Award, SH Ervin Gallery, Observatory Hill, Sydney
2017 Cliftons Art Prize
2017 Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize
2017 Hunters Hill Art Prize
2016 The Portia Geach Memorial Award, SH Ervin Gallery, Observatory Hill, Sydney
2016 A Small World, Magpie Springs Gallery, Adelaide
2016 Paddington Art Prize, Paddington, Sydney
2016 Cliftons Art Prize, Sydney
2016 The Black Swan Prize for Portraiture, AGWA, Perth
2016 The kangaroos Visit – Bounce into Assisi, at Sala Ex Pinacoteca di Assi, Italy
2016 Out of the Flames, The Shop Gallery, Glebe, Sydney
2016 Hunters Hill Art Prize, Hunters Hill
2015 The kangaroos Visit, Palazzo di Sant’Egidio, Rome, Italy
2015 The kangaroos Visit, Palazzo Velli, Rome, Italy
2015 The kangaroos Visit, Artisti di via Giulia Galleria, Rome, Italy
2015 The Portia Geach Memorial Award, SH Ervin Gallery, Observatory Hill, Sydney
2015 Archibald Prize Finalist Exhibition, AGNSW, Sydney
2015 Waverley Art Prize, Waverley
2015 Hunters Hill Art Prize, Hunters Hill
2014 The Portia Geach Memorial Award, SH Ervin Gallery, Observatory Hill, Sydney
2014 Australians at Work, The Victorian Arts Society, Melbourne
2014 25 Years, Tap Gallery, Darlinghurst
2014 The Hunters Hill Art Prize
2014 Mixed Metaphors of Easter, TFR Art Gallery, Petersham
2014 Rags to Riches, FRAG Art Gallery, Petersham
2013 The Fracking Redundance Art Gallery (FRAG) Opening, Petersham
2013 The Greenway Exhibition, Art Est, Leichhardt
2013 Fisher Ghost Art Prize, Campbelltown
2013 31 Days – Blur the Lines, Gallery Red, Glebe
2013 The Tutor Salon Exhibition – Art Est, Leichhardt
2013 Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, Mosman
2013 Multi-Cultural Australia, Parliament House, Sydney
2012 Innovators, Federal Parliament House, Sydney
2012 The Greenway Exhibition, Art EST, Leichhardt
2012 Spirit Life in Marrickville, Seview Gallery, Dulwich Hill.
2012 The Portia Geach Memorial Award, SH Ervin Gallery. The Rocks, Sydney.
2012 Portrait Artists Australia, The Artists’ Book Launch, Art House, Sydney.
2011 The face of Australia, Parliament House, Sydney.
2011 The Portia Geach Memorial Award, SH Ervin Gallery. The Rocks, Sydney.
2010 The Portia Geach Memorial Award, SH Ervin Gallery. The Rocks, Sydney.
2009 The Portia Geach Memorial Award, SH Ervin Gallery. The Rocks, Sydney.
2008 Real Refuses, Tap Gallery, Darlinghurst, Sydney.
2007 A Little Bit of Italy, Katherine Vale Vineyard, Hunter Valley.
2007 Salon des Refuses, SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney.
2006 Artists on Norton – Parliament House Sydney.
2005 Highlights of Art di Ritorno- Norton Street, Leichhardt
2004 Art di Ritorno (Art that Returns) – Biblioteca Berio Galleria, Genova, Italy.
2003 Fortune – Side on Gallery, Annandale.
2005 – 1999 Annually: Artists on Norton Exhibition – Leichhardt
1999 Past- Ur-Rise, Paddington
1998 Uncommon Masters, COFA Gallery
1995 Young Italo-Australian Artist Awards Finalist Exhibition, Rozelle
1995 Sfumato – YZ Gallery, Kingswood
1994 Sfumato – YZ Gallery, UNSW
1994 Small Screen/Big Picture – Bondi Pavilion Gallery, Bondi Beach
1994 Australica – Bondi Pavilion Gallery, Bondi Beach
1993 Past-Pressent – University of NSW
1993 MA Exhibition, COFA Gallery
1992 Home and Away – Ritches Contemporary Gallery, New Zealand
1992 Exit SCA, Balmain
1991 Artychoked – SCA, Balmain
1990 Neon Ethnic – The foundry, Leichhardt
1990 Union Exhibition – Sydney University
1989 Art, Design & Fibre Exhibition, SCAE Oatley
1988 National Bicentennial Conference Exhibition, Sydney Bicentennial Authority
1988 Expressive & Performing Arts Exhibition, SCAE, Oatley
1987 Intech Exhibition, Sydney, Newcastle & Orange
1981 Ashfield Municipal Council Art Exhibition
1980 Ashfield Municipal Council Art Exhibition
Awards/Prizes
2021 Finalist in The Adelaide Perry Prize, Sydney
2020 Finalist in The Padding Art Prize, Sydney
2020 Finalist in The Hutford Hardwood Portrait Prize, Lismore Regional Gallery
2020 Finalist in The Lester Prize for Portraiture, Perth Regional Gallery
2020 Finalist in The Portia Geach Memorial Award, S.H. Ervin Gallery, of Observatory Hill, Sydney
2020 Finalist in The Percival Prize for Portraiture, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville
2020 Finalist in The Glover Art Prize, Tasmania
2020 Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize (Winner of The Principal’s Choice Award)
2019 Finalist in The Fishers Ghost Prize Art Prize – Open Section, Campbelltown Arts Centre
2019 Finalist in The Naracoorte National Art Prize, Naracoorte, South Australia
2019 Finalist in The Lethbridge Small Scale Art Prize, Lethbridge Gallery, Queensland
2018 Finalist in The Kangaroo Valley Art Prize, Kangaroo Valley
2018 Finalist in The Kilgour Art Prize, Newcastle Regional gallery Newcastle
2018 Finalist in The Biennial Percival Portrait Prize, Perc Tucker Gallery, Townsville
2017 Finalist in The Portia Geach Memorial Award
2017 Finalist in The Cliftons Art Prize
2017 Finalist in The Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize
2017 Finalist in The Hunters Hill Art Prize
2016 Finalist in The Portia Geach Memorial award
2016 Finalist in The Paddington Art Prize
2016 Finalist in The Cliftons Art Prize
2016 Finalist in The Black Swan Prize for Portraiture
2016 Finalist in The Hunters Hill Art Prize
2015 Finalist in The Portia Geach Memorial award
2015 Semi-Finalist Doug Moran National Portrait Prize
2015 Finalist in The Archibald Prize
2015 Finalist in The Waverley Art Prize
2015 Finalist in The Hunters Hill Art Prize
2014 Finalist in The Portia Geach Memorial Award
2014 Finalist in The Hunters Hill Art Prize
2013 Semi- Finalist Doug Moran National Portrait Prize
2013 Finalist in The Fisher Ghost Prize – Drawing & Printmaking Section
2013 Finalist in The Mosman Art Prize
2012 Finalist in The Portia Geach Memorial Award
2011 Finalist in The Portia Geach Memorial Award
2010 Finalist in The Portia Geach Memorial Award
2009 Finalist in The Portia Geach Memorial Award
2004 Artists on Norton Art Prize for painting
2002 Artists on Norton Art Prize for painting
1995 Italian Institute of Culture ‘Young Italo- Australian Award’ finalist Prize
1980 Ashfield Municipal council Art Prize – First Prize
1981 Ashfield Municipal Council Art Prize – Second Prize
Articles/ Publications
Thylacine Dreams: The Vernacular Resurrection of an Extinct Marsupial, Chapter III, Art and The Thylacine – (The works of Filippa Buttitta) pp56-96, Daisy Ahlstone.Maters Thesis, Utah State University, 2019. digitalcommons.usu.edu
The Fable of the Lost Thylacine, Il Globo, by Lucia Moon, Published March 28, 2019, http://ilglobo.com.au/news/42790/the-fable-of-the-lost-thylacine-filippa-buttitta-releases-2019-sulman-and-archibald-portrait-entries/
The Inner West Courier, ‘Father Dave Fights Another Round on Canvas – Feisty Cleric Inspires Archibald Bout’, July 1st, 2014, p.40.
The Glebe, February 12 2009, p.3, ‘Description of Dawn Draws on a Turbulent Life’ by Marie Sansom.
La Fiama Newspaper, Il ritratto di Father Dave Smith’, June 30th, 2014, p.36.
Inner West Courier, October 15th 2009, p.3 ‘Dawn Fraser Portrait’ by Marie Sansom.
Sydney Morning Herald, March 24, 2007, ‘Anything Goes In The Silly Season’ by John McDonald.
La Fiama Newspaper, 1990-2013, ‘annual’ publications about the work of Filippa Buttitta’s by Armando Tornari.
Voi Tutti Magazine, Issue 8 – Inverno 2007, p.43, Morris Iemma Paintings by Katherin Stevenson.
Biography 2007, ‘Interview with Australian Artist – Profile on Filippa Buttitta’, by Robert Kennedy.
Artwrite, 1998 Vol 11, pp.25-27, ‘Filippa Buttitta – A Fragmented Culture’ by Naomi Abood.
Thesis (MFA), 2002, College of Fine Arts, UNSW, ‘Triggers of Memory: Fragmented Preservations of Cultural Identity’ by Filippa Buttitta.
Thesis (MA), 1993, College of Fine Arts, UNSW, ‘Fragments of a Photograph’ by Filippa Buttitta.
Master Portrait Painting Workshops
Filippa has occasionally taught portrait painting workshops to adults at the Art EST Art School in Leichhardt, to both primary and secondary students in schools and privately at her Twiverton Gallery. She is currently teaching workshops in painting as part of Ausgrid’s career transition program until the end of 2017
Residencies – Re-imagining the Australian Bush
Wonthaggi Art Space, 2018
Gipsland area, Victoria 2018
Hill End (Self Funded) 2016
Mount Carcalgong NSW (Self Funded) 2015
Twiverton Gallery
The Twiverton Gallery is a small privately run gallery which is connected to Filippa Buttitta’s studio. Located in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Lewisham the gallery opened in 2007. The gallery has annual exhibitions and invites people to view works from an established mailing list.
Professional Membership
Portrait Artists Australia.- Visit: hhtp://www.portraitartistaustralia.com
Filippa Buttitta is a full time artist who owns & operates Twiverton Gallery, connected to her studio.
Her work is an ongoing journey of exploring and reinterpreting Australian identity, cultural history and most recently, surviving a brain tumour during Covid19 through her drawings, paintings and sculpture. All themes Buttitta has focused on seem to have a common core of dealing with some kind of ‘Anxiety’.
Intrigued with the vastness of the Australian Landscape and the mysteries hidden within it, Buttitta has over the past 30 years explored things that get lost (or are made to get lost) in the bush. According to author Peter Pierce, Australians have had an ongoing obsession on anxiety with trying to resolve mystery or find the unknown hidden in the Australian landscape.
From her ‘Lost Child in the Bush’ series inspired by Frederick McCubbin’s 1886 ‘Lost Child’, Buttitta’s work has transformed to focus on reimagining the ‘Lost Thylacine’ in the Bush.
Recent work is a series of drawings that re-imagine lost native species and Australia mega-fauna reimagine back into the landscape. (See Filippa Buttitta on Instagram)
Apart from her landscaped Buttitta has also drawn and painted the portraits of a diversity of Australians. These portraits are visual interpretations of Australian cultural identity in a time, place & perspective of Australian socio-cultural history. Buttitta paints people from all walks of life sometimes from completely opposite sides of the Australian Societal spectrum & incorporates explorations of individual personal affinities intertwined with history, narrative & memory. Some well known Australians Buttitta has painted are former NSW Premier The Hon Morris Iemma; former Anglican Arch Bishop of Sydney Dr Peter Jensen; The greens Senator Lee Rhiannon; Olympic legend Dawn Fraser AO MBE; Franco Belgiorno-Nettis AC; The ABC’s sport commentator Debbie Spillane; Vittoria’s Coffee founder Les Schirato; innovative knee surgeon Dr Leo Pinczewski; The ABC’s ‘Lateline’ presenter Emma Alberici, Marco Belgiorno-Zegnia MA, Fighting Father Dave Smith, artist Judy Cassab AO CBE, artist Charles Blackman OBE, politician Pru Goward and more recently, Palaeontologist & Professor Dr Mike Archer AM FAA FRSN and professor, Dr Andrew Pask ARC, artist Tony Costa and Dr Charlie Teo.
Buttitta’s work has been selected as a finalist for the 2015 Archibald Prize and the 2007 Archibald’s Salon De Refuses, as a semi-finalist twice in The Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, 9 times as a finalist in The Portia Geach Memorial Award, The lester Prize, The Ravenswoord Art Prize, The Mosman Art Prize, The Hunters Hill Art Prize, The Waverly Art Prize, Cliftons Art Prize, The Fisher Ghost Art Prize, Percival Art Prize and Kilgour Art Prize. She is also a member of the Portrait Artists Australia. Futher information about Buttitta and her CV can be found at:
http://www.filippabuttitta.com.au
Filippa Buttitta 