Heath Ledger Portrait Wins Aussie Art Award

First Published: May 8, 2008 12:49 PM EDT Credit: AP

SYDNEY, Australia -- Caption Heath Ledger at New York's Fashion Week, September 10, 2007A portrait of Hollywood star Heath Ledger painted weeks before his death has won an Australian art award.

The painting features a bare-chested Ledger staring from the canvas as two images of the actor whisper into his ears.

On Thursday, it was awarded a secondary prize by the Art Gallery of New South Wales in its annual national portrait competition. Sydney artist Del Kathryn Barton won first prize with her self-portrait.

“Heath” by Vincent Fantauzzo was the popular choice among the 32,000 who saw the exhibition.

Ledger died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in January. He was 28.

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