The Case that Stopped a Nation: The Archibald Prize Controversy of 1944 by Peter Edwell

A lively and thorough telling of one of Australia’s greatest front page scandals, involving key figures of the nation’s art movement, politicians and business leaders, with William Dobell and Joshua Smith caught in the middle. Whilst World War II raged overseas, Australia’s Archibald Prize, the wealthiest portrait prize in the world, drew huge crowds and torrents of gossip. This big illustrated book details the bizarre court case, the cast of odd characters and the aftermath, with informative context.