Greek Australian artist Michael Zavros, based in Brisbane, has posted on Facebook that he was “thrilled to be a finalist in this year’s Archibald Prize with my portrait of the incredible Alex Ryvchin”.
Alexander Ryvchin is a Ukrainian-born Australian author, advocate, media commentator and lawyer. He is also co-Chief Executive Officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and a vocal advocate for the Australian Jewish community.
“A few years ago, my mother thought she saw me on television. But it was Alex Ryvchin. In the following months, a few friends also observed that we looked alike,” said Zavros.
Zavros said his portrait of Ryvchin was a response to the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the Bondi Massacre in December 2025.
Michael Zavros, based in Brisbane, here painting Alex Ryvchin, “Alex by the sea”, an Archibald Prize finalist. Photo: Supplied
“Alex was in the media a lot. As co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and a natural leader, he spoke passionately about the pain in his community and the changes he feared would emerge in our nation.”
He also revealed that, while having Greek and Irish heritage, a DNA test showed he was also part Ashkenazi Jewish.
“Around this time, a DNA test revealed that in addition to having Greek and Irish heritage, I was also, surprisingly, part Ashkenazi Jew,” Zavros said.
The issue became more personal for Zavros following the attack on Jewish Australians at Bondi in December.
“When two gunmen attacked Jewish people on Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025, Alex led the nation in a way our elected leaders failed to do,” said Zavros.
He said he found “common ground with this man who, like me, is a father of three”.
Alex Ryvchin with his tefillin in the sea oil on canvas 205.2 x 137.9 cm by Michael Zavros, an Archibald Prize finalist. Photo: Supplied
“When we met, I knew I wanted to paint Alex in water or ‘the sea’, which symbolises so much for Jewish and non-Jewish Australians alike.”
“I included his tefillin, as symbols are so important in contemporary culture. All too often, when marking identity, they are used to harm people.”
Ryvchin told Neos Kosmos, “It’s an immense privilege to be painted by such a wonderful artist”.
“Given how alike we look, it’s almost a self-portrait. I wish Michael great success,” said Ryvchin, laughing.
Some entrants painted activist personalities, such as Lebanese Australian journalist Jan Fran, an outspoken critic of Israel, and Lebanese Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi, who has been accused of being sympathetic to the former leader of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah.
Zavros is different. He pushes against prevailing narratives that shape the Australian art scene. His portrait of Alex Ryvchin—a prominent Australian Jew, public advocate, and outspoken opponent of antisemitism—stands as a quiet but resolute counterpoint.
” I try not to think too much about the audience at all. I need to make work that’s meaningful to me,” said Zavros to Neos Kosmos
As highlighted in various Neos Kosmos features, Zavros’ work is often an “antidote to the frumpy censoriousness which has occupied much of Australian culture and media”.
He is one of the few Australian artists to elevate aesthetics, eros and ancient Dionysian excess, balanced with Apollonian restraint
Zavros has a body of work created over the 20 years, comprising beautiful objects, men, and women, majestic horses, and elegant memento mori sculptures in many ways referencing Classical Greece. His work is also loaded with irony aimed at the beautiful vacuousness of modern elites.
This portrait marks a departure. While it maintains the aesthetic Michael Zavros is known for, his depiction of Alex Ryvchin is deeply reflective, hinting at the impact of antisemitism as much as it reveals Ryvchin’s quiet strength in confronting it.
