The painting, in a return to the venerable Bald Archy’s initial focus on art itself, shows TV star Ahn Do painting himself.

Founding director of the award, Peter Batey, made the announcement on behalf of Maude (the celebrated sulphur-crested cockatoo from Coolac) from the sophisticated surrounds of the new Darling Harbour Sofitel Hotel, host to the Sydney exhibition.

He said this was Brennan’s fourth win and his second back to back, after “Pocket Rocke’t” won in 2017.

Brennan’s previous winners were 2009’s “Old Owl Eyes is Back” and in 2008, the in-yer-face “Danish Royal Family”.

Runner up this year was Wendy Barling with her Tolkien-inspired portrait of former PM Tony Abbott, “Gollott”, while third place went to Sharyn Jones, a farmer’s wife from Upper Manilla in NSW for her horsey portrait, “The Magical Mare” (Winx).

Batey says the winning work had brought the 2018 award “into a new age of clever”.

The 2018 Bald Archy exhibition continues at the Darling Harbour Sofitel Hotel until April 22, after which it will tour to Deniliquin, Leura, Brisbane, Newcastle, Melbourne, Corowa and Temora.