BIO
Biography
Kim Leutwyler is a queer and gender diverse visual artist with roots in the American Southwest, now based in Sydney, Australia. The artist works across painting, installation, ceramics, printmedia, and drawing. Leutwyler holds dual bachelor degrees in Studio Art and Art History from Arizona State University, and additionally graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a Painting and Drawing degree. The artist's current work focuses on themes of identity, queerness and the natural world. Leutwyler is known for vibrant and expressive paintings, which are exhibited widely across galleries and major cultural institutions in Australia and internationally.
Several of the artist's works are included in The Lunar Codex, a curated archive of contemporary art launched via NASA to the Moon in 2023 and 2024. Leutwyler is a seven-time Archibald Finalist, a nine-time finalist in the Portia Geach Memorial Award, a two-time finalist in the Sulman Prize, and has been a finalist in over 30 national art prizes since 2015. Leutwyler was the 2018 Winner Cayte Latta Memorial Award for Visual Art. The artist has had chapters dedicated to their artwork and career included in 3 Art History books: About Face: Contemporary portrait painting in Australia & New Zealand by Amber Creswell Bell, The Female Gaze in Art and Photography by Anita Selzer, and Muse, Uncovering the Hidden Figures Behind Art History's Masterpieces by Ruth Millington.
Exhibitions
2025
PANEL, Nanda/Hobbs Gallery, Sydney, AU
Queer Drawing, Draw Space, Sydney, AU
Kaleidoscope: A Queer Perspective, Horsham Regional Art Gallery, Horsham, AU
ARCUS Pride, Brookfield Place, Sydney, AU
2024
Woman, James Baird Gallery, Pouch Cove, Canada
STILLNESS, 33 Contemporary Gallery, Miami, USA
ARCUS Pride, Brookfield Place, Sydney, AU
2023
Re-Figuring Ground, Grafton Regional Gallery, Grafton, AU
Man About the House, Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, Nowra, AU
Life in Colour, Sketch Co. Gallery, Sydney, AU
Uranian Games, HAKE House of Art, Dee Why, AU
2023
Man About the House, Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, Nowra, AU
Life in Colour, Sketch Co. Gallery, Sydney, AU
New World, Goodspace, Sydney, AU
Uranian Games, HAKE House of Art, Dee Why, AU
2022
Queer Corporeality, Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney, AU (solo)
Muse, Royal Over-Seas League, London, UK
Interconnected, New England Regional Art Museum [NERAM], AU
Mighty Real, .M Contemporary, Sydney, AU
Beyond the Rainbow: Pride in Portraits, Saatchi Art, Brooklyn, US
2021
Queer Portraits, Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney, AU (solo)
love e and mobi, 33 Contemporary, Chicago, USA (solo)
Painting the Figure Now, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, USA
Couples, 33 Contemporary Gallery, Chicago, USA
Place, Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney, AU
Self, Cultivate, London, UK
NSFW, Spoke Art Gallery, San Francisco, USA
Towards Utopia, Saatchi Art, Brooklyn, NY, USA
THE ART OF ART, Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, USA
Women Painting Women, Burrinja Cultural Centre, Upwey, AU
Group Show, Bluethumb Gallery, Adelaide, AU
2020
Queer Portraits, Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Sydney, AU (solo preview)
The Creator and the Muse, 33 Contemporary, Chicago, USA
Storytellers, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne, AU
Looking Up, Looking Forward, 33 Contemporary, Chicago, USA
2019
Bridgette McNab x Kim Leutwyler, Bluethumb, Melbourne AU
Seeing Red, Thinkspace Projects, Los Angeles, USA
Painting the Figure Now, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, USA
Art of the Nude, 33 Contemporary, Chicago, USA
The Figure in Art, 33 Contemporary, Chicago, USA
PINK BITS, Tacit Galleries, Melbourne, AU
World Pride: Arcus Pride Art Exhibition, Clifford Chance, Sydney, AU
2018
NSFW, BSIDE Gallery, Fitzroy, AU
We, the people who live for the Beautiful, Bondi Pavilion Gallery, Bondi, AU
Ephemeral, Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, USA
40 Years of Queer Art: Rebellion and Subversion, Comber St Studios, AU
2017
No Woman is an Island, BLINDSIDE, Melbourne, Australia
Queer Art Prize Judges Exhibit, Chapel Off Chapel, Melbourne, Australia
2016
Virtual Connections, No. 1 Martin Place, Sydney, Australia
Trailblazing Women of Herstory, Neospace, Melbourne, Australia
Meridian, fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne, Australia (Feature Artist)
2015
The Other Art Fair, aMBUSH Project Space, Sydney, Australia
Home Free: A Midsumma Exhibition, Gasworks Arts Park, Melbourne, Australia
2014
Artfuly: A Digital Discovery, Zigi's Art Gallery, Sydney, Australia
The Comfort Zone, Gasworks Arts Park, Melbourne, Australia
Inquisitarium, Art @1 Spring Street, Melbourne, Australia
Education
School of the Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, IL 2008-2009
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting and Drawing
Arizona State University (Also studied abroad at University of Auckland, New Zealand)
Bachelor of Arts, Art
Katherine K. Herberger, College of Fine Arts, Tempe
Double Major: Art History and Studio with emphasis in printmaking
Graduated May. 2007 magna cum laude * Concurrent Degrees
Prizes
2024 Portia Geach Memorial Award finalist, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, AU
2023 Archibald Prize finalist, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, AU
2023 Portia Geach Memorial Award finalist, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, AU
2023 Bluethumb Art Prize Finalist, Bluethumb Art Gallery, Melbourne, AU
2022 Archibald Prize finalist, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, AU
2022 Sir John Sulman Prize finalist, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, AU
2022 Portia Geach Memorial Award finalist, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, AU
2022 Evelyn Chapman Award Finalist, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, AU
2022 Bluethumb Art Prize Finalist, Bluethumb Art Gallery, Melbourne, AU
2021 Archibald Prize finalist, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, AU
2021 Portia Geach Memorial Award finalist, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, AU
2021 Paddington Art Prize finalist, Defiance Gallery, Sydney, AU
2021 Lethbridge Art Award finalist, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane, AU
2021 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize semi-finalist, Sydney, AU
2021 Bluethumb Art Prize runner up portrait finalist, Melbourne, AU
2020 Archibald Prize finalist, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, AU
2020 Portia Geach Memorial Award finalist, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, AU
2019 Archibald Prize finalist, Australia
2019 Portia Geach Memorial Award finalist, Australia
2019 Naked and Nude Art Prize finalist, Australia
2019 The Lester Prize Salon des Refusés semi-finalist, Australia
2019 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize semi-finalist, Australia
2018 Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award finalist, Australia
2018 churchie national emerging art prize finalist, Australia
2018 Black Swan Prize for Portraiture finalist, Australia
2018 Stanthorpe Art Prize finalist, Australia
2018 Portia Geach Memorial Award finalist, Australia
2018 Bluethumb Art Prize finalist, Australia
2018 Winner Cayte Latta Memorial Award for Visual Art, Australia
2017 Archibald Prize Finalist. Portrait used as key marketing image, Australia
2017 Sir John Sulman Prize Finalist, Australia
2017 Portia Geach Memorial Award finalist, Australia
2017 Bluethumb Art Prize finalist, Australia
2017 Cliftons Art Prize, People’s Choice Award, Australia
2016 Portia Geach Memorial Award finalist, Australia
2016 Winner Midsumma Visual Arts Cover Guide, Australia
2016 John Copes Portrait Prize finalist, Australia
2016 Spoon x Ello Finalist, featured in SPOON Magazine, USA
2015 Archibald Prize Finalist. Portrait used as key marketing image, Australia
2015 Jerry’s Artarama Self Portrait Finalist, USA
Collections
The Lunar Codex, a curated archive of contemporary art in time capsules launched via NASA to The Moon.
Brooklyn Art Library, Brooklyn, New York
Printmaking Student Association Collection, Arizona State University
Publications
About Face: Contemporary portrait painting in Australia & New Zealand by Amber Creswell Bell, 2024, pages 136-141, chapter: 'Kim Leutwyler'
The Female Gaze in Art and Photography by Anita Selzer, 2023, pages 174-181, chapter: 'Kim Leutwyler'
Muse, Uncovering the Hidden Figures Behind Art History's Masterpieces by Ruth Millington, 2022, pages 277-284, chapter: 'Start the Riot'
Selected Press
Cover, Stand Proud, Anne O'Hehir chats with Kim Leutwyler about courage, community and the ethics of looking, Portrait: Magazine of the National Portrait Gallery 2023
The Art Show ABC Radio National 2023
An Interview with Kim Leutwyler, PURPLEHAZE Magazine 2023
Episode 114: Kim Leutwyler, Talking with Painters Podcast, 2021
Celebrity Talks: Benjamin Law in Conversation with Kim Leutwyler, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2021
Celebrity Talks: Zan Rowe in Conversation with Kim Leutwyler, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2019
Art of the Nude, American Art Collector, 2019
Levi's® Pride: A Conversation with Kim Leutwyler, Levi’s Global Pride Campaign, 2018
The Top 100 Figurative Painters Working Right Now, Buzzfeed, 2018
Ones to Watch: An Interview with Kim Leutwyler, BOOOOOOOM, 2018
Rainbow List: 50 of the most influential LGBTIQ+ allied Australians, Cosmopolitan, 2017
LOTL Powerlist, LOTL Magazine, 2017
New Feminists, PoetsArtists, 2017
On the Rise Artist, Kim Leutwyler, beautiful.bizarre, 2016
1 of 9 finalists for the Spoon x Ello Competition, Kim Leutwyler, SPOON Magazine, 2016
Artist Kim Leutwyler reflects on what makes The Greats truly great at the Art Gallery of NSW - Central Sydney 2016
23 LGBT Australians to Watch in 2016, GNN, 2016
Emerging artists rule the roost at The Other Art Fair, The Sydney Morning Herald, 2015
Eyes on the Prize: Introducing Archibald Prize Finalist, Queer Artist Kim Leutwyler, Gay News Network, 2015
Kim Leutwyler on her bold and powerful portraits of women, Mamamia, 2015
On the Couch with Kim Leutwyler, Australian Arts Review, 2015
Audio - Interview with Myf Warhurst, Archibald Prize Featured Artist Q&A, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2015