Peter Lundberg has been announced the winner of Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2012, and awarded with the prestigious Balnaves Foundation Sculpture Prize of $70,000.

The US sculptor’s piece, barrel roll, was unanimously chosen by the exhibition’s panel: Rosemary Foot AO; John Gow, Director, Connells Bay Sculpture Park; and Terence Maloon, former Senior Curator, Art Gallery of NSW.

The prize is the most generous for sculpture in NSW. The winning sculpture is gifted by the Balnaves Foundation to the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Terence Maloon said of the decision, ‘We always enjoy the dialogue between works of art which have been shaped by the human will and sensibility and the varied dazzling prospects of this extraordinary environment. Peter Lundberg's barrel roll impressed us with its majestic scale, its visceral energy and impact in the natural setting.’

The focus of Peter Lundberg's work is building large, public sculpture of concrete cast in the earth. His recent sculptures have been made local government projects in China, USA and Germany.

Lundberg normally builds sculptures on or near their exhibition site, as his pieces can weigh as much as 100 tonnes. Some of his most visible sculptures are exhibited at Grounds for Sculpture, New Jersey; on the George Washington Bridge in Manhattan, NYC; and at the world respected Storm King Arts Center in New York.

Founding Director of Sculpture by the Sea, David Handley said, 'Peter’s sculpture is totemic and primeval. He creates his works by digging the form a hole in the ground into which the materials are placed to set. The finished work reminds me of something the Druids would have conjured up.'

Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi began in 1997, as a one-day exhibition featuring works by 64 artists and attended by 25,000 visitors. Since then, the event has grown to include works from various esteemed international artists and is now enjoyed by over 500,000 visitors. Sculpture by the Sea is an international series of exhibitions presented at Cottesloe Beach in Perth, Western Australia from 8 to 25 March 2013 and in the city of Aarhus in Denmark in 2013.

The Balnaves Foundation has supported Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi since 1998. The Balnaves Foundation Sculpture Prize was introduced as the major prize at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi in 2009. In its inaugural year the prize was awarded to 91-year old Australian sculptor May Barrie, followed by Danish artist Keld Moseholm in 2010 and in 2011, Australian artist Paul Selwood.

With the addition of Peter Lundberg’s, barrel roll in 2012, the Royal Botanic Gardens is growing a major new public collection for Sydney on the harbour.