Artist accused of winning prize with ‘imitation’ won Australian award with piece ‘influenced’ by Basquiat

Jane Allan, an Australian painter, has faced scrutiny over two of her prize-winning artworks. The National Portrait Gallery acknowledged that Allan's piece, "Weight of the Mind's Periapt," displayed "clear influence" from Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1982 work, "Untitled (Two Heads on Gold)." This statement comes after Allan was accused of winning a separate $20,000 prize with a painting described as an "imitation" of Nicholas Harding's work. The National Portrait Gallery has declined to provide further comment on the noted resemblances between Allan's "Weight of the Mind's Periapt" and Basquiat's "Untitled (Two Heads on Gold)." Allan's winning piece for the Darling Portrait Prize has drawn attention due to these comparisons. Her earlier work, submitted for the Doyles Art Award, also faced accusations of imitation, specifically concerning a piece by Nicholas Harding.