The Zurich Portrait Prize is an annual competition showcasing contemporary portraiture and attracts entries from across the island of Ireland, and from Irish artists living abroad. This exhibition will feature a shortlist of portraits chosen by the 2019 judging panel.
The winner will receive a cash prize of €15,000, and a commission worth €5,000, to create a work for inclusion in the National Portrait Collection. There will also be two awards of €1,500 for highly commended works. The aim of the Zurich Portrait Prize is to showcase and encourage interest in contemporary portraiture, and to raise the profile of the long-standing and constantly evolving National Portrait Collection at the National Gallery of Ireland.
An exhibition of shortlisted works will take place at the National Gallery of Ireland from 5 October 2019 to 12 January 2020. The exhibition will continue at Crawford Art Gallery, Cork from January to April 2020.
The Zurich Portrait Prize 2019 judging panel comprises Mike Fitzpatrick, Dean of Limerick School of Art and Design and Director of Cultural Engagement, LIT; Professor Fiona Kearney, founding Director of the Glucksman; and Mick O’Dea, artist and member of the RHA.
The Shortlist
- Christopher Banahan (Galway), Self Portrait with eyes closed, acrylic on wood
- Shane Berkery (Dublin), A Light, oil on canvas
- Els Borghart (Louth), He is not here, oil on board
- Enda Bowe (London, UK), Cybil McCaddy with Daughter Lulu, photograph – C-type print
- Lisa Butterly & Lisa McCormack (Louth), The Day You Left, photograph
- Comhghall Casey (Dublin), Self Portrait, oil on canvas
- Joe Dunne (Dublin), And Their World of Far and Near Things, egg/oil tempera on canvas
- David Hamilton (Armagh), Karen and Alan McStraw II, acrylic on canvas
- Gordon Harris (Galway), Fragile, oil and silver leaf on board
- Dragana Jurišić (Dublin), Paula Meehan, photograph
- Lynn Kennedy (Dublin), I am Claudia, oil on linen
- Miseon Lee (Dublin), Me in the Mirror III: Faux Hat, oil on linen
- Salvatore of Lucan (Dublin), Lucy with 3 Hands and Me Holding onto her Leg, oil on canvas
- Paul MacCormaic (Dublin), Tania Persechini Sewing, oil and acrylic on board
- Ian Maher (Dublin), Self Portrait, plaster and acrylic on canvas
- Fionn McCann (Dublin), Untitled T#1, photograph
- Brian McCarthy (Dublin), Joe Duffy, oil on canvas
- Oisín McFarland Smith (Wicklow), Granny Annie, photograph (Kodak Portra 400 taken on Bronica ETRS)
- Tom Molloy (France), Paddy and me, photograph
- Bríd Murphy (Laois), Untitled, 30-minute video triptych x 3 with sound
- Liam Murphy (Dublin), Stephen, photograph
- Liam Robinson (Dublin), Self-portrait as Ares, Greek God of War, coloured pencil, pencil, acrylic pen on card
- Johnny Savage (Kildare), Mary Robinson, Dublin, 2018, photograph
- Niamh Smith (Dublin), Mother, (from Institutions of Home), photograph
- Marcel Vidal (Dublin), À la plage (Dad 1946 – 2018), oil on linen
- Amy Walsh (Dublin), Mná na hÉireann, photographic image screen printed onto paper
nationalgallery.ie/…zurich-portrait-prize-2019
Source: Visual Artists Ireland News