Nicholas Harding was the winner of the 2001 Archibald portrait prize with his Portrait of John Bell as King Lear and also winner of the Dobell Prize for Drawing with Eddy Avenue. In the same year he also won the Hills Grammar Art Prize, the King's School Art Prize. Harding was an inaugural Grantpirrie artist-in-resident recipient and this took him to the Kimberley region of Western Australia, where he met the painter Rusty Peters, the subject of his portrait in this year's Archibald prize.

Harding has also won the Mosman Art Prize in 1993, the Kedumba drawing prize in 1994, and the Universities and Schools Club prize in 1999. Collections include the Art Gallery of New South Wales, several university and corporate collections, and private collections in USA, UK, Asia and Australia. Harding had a solo exhibition in London in 1997.

Born in London in 1956 Harding came to Australia in 1965. This is Harding's seventh exhibition with Rex Irwin Art Dealer, and marks his 10th anniversary of being represented by this gallery.