Artist Accused of Copying Jean-Michel Basquiat, Thomas Harding, in Prizewinning Works
8June 25, 2026
Australian artist Jane Allan is facing allegations that she mimicked the work of New York neo-expressionistJean-Michel Basquiatand British-born Australian artistNicholas Hardingin two paintings that won Australian prizes in recent years.
The Guardianreports that concerns first arose over Allan’s canvasSeaside Explorers, which won the AU$20,000 (US$13,800) Doyles Art Award for landscape painting in 2025. Australian news platformABCrevealed that Brisbane art dealer Philip Bacon, who represents Harding’s estate, had pointed out that the work was a “blatant copy” of the artist’s 2011Two Estuary Figures, with a difference of scale. The original is a minor Harding work, Bacon said, explaining why judges might not have recognized Allan’s submission as a re-creation.
Jennifer Doyle, a cofounder of the long-running locally known prize, expressed disappointment over the discovery. “Why would you do that?” said Doyle. “If you’ve got the skill to do it, can’t you think of something to paint for yourself?”
Following the surfacing of these allegations, the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, Australia, announced that Allan’s Weight of the Mind’s Periapt, which was a finalist for the gallery’s closely followed Darling portrait prize in 2022 and took home the $2,000 Art Handler’s award that year, was “clearly influenced” by the work of Basquiat. Allan’s work is similar in composition, style, and content to the New York artist’s 1982 Untitled (Two Heads on Gold).
“While the gallery regularly reviews the terms and conditions of its prizes, it has always required artists to declare that they are submitting an original artwork,” a gallery spokesperson told The Guardian, affirming that the institution had noted the work’s similarities to the Basquiat painting at the time of its submission.
Harding’s estate in a statement noted that the incident served as a “reminder of the importance of due diligence, provenance and respect for artists’ intellectual property.” Neither Allan nor the Basquiat estate has yet commented publicly on the matter.