Exhibitions run in Dublin and Cork this year and next
From more than one thousand entries, the shortlists of both the 2020 Zurich Portrait Prize and Zurich Young Portrait Prize have been announced by the National Gallery of Ireland. 26 artists, working across a variety of different media, have made it through to the final stage of the Zurich Portrait Prize, while 20 young artists aged between three and eighteen years old have been shortlisted for the Zurich Young Portrait Prize.
The winner of the Zurich Portrait Prize will receive a prize of €15,000 and a commission worth €5,000 to create a new work for inclusion in the National Portrait Collection at the National Gallery of Ireland. There will also be two awards of €1,500 for highly commended works. Judges for this year’s Zurich Portrait Prize are Dr Philip Cottrell, lecturer and assistant professor at the School of Art History and Cultural Policy, UCD; artist Rita Duffy; and Aoife Ruane, Director of Highlanes Gallery.
Returning for its second year, the Zurich Young Portrait Prize accepted entries from young people up to the age of 18 from across the island of Ireland. Five winners (one from each age category, and an overall winner) will be chosen. Winners will receive a bespoke art box and a cash prize. This year’s Zurich Young Portrait Prize judges are Maria Cagney, Head of Education, The Hunt Museum; artist Colin Davidson; and illustrator, author and comedian Aoife Dooley.
An exhibition of works shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize and Zurich Young Portrait Prize will open at the National Gallery of Ireland on 21 November 2020. Following the success of the run of last year’s exhibitions at Crawford Art Gallery, the Zurich Portrait Prize and Zurich Young Portrait Prize will travel to Cork once again in April 2021.
Shortlisted artists for the Zurich Portrait Prize 2020 at the National Gallery of Ireland:
Rachel Ballagh (Cork), High Anxiety, oil on board
Patrick Bolger (Dublin), Max, My Boy, photo on photo rag baryta
David Booth (Dublin), Maho, oil on board
Caroline Canning (Dublin), Mary Lennon Slicing Apples, oil on canvas
Comhghall Casey (Dublin), Self Portrait, oil on canvas
Aidan Crotty (Sligo), Portrait of a Boy, Morning, oil on linen
Amanda Doran (Wexford), Comfortable Shoes, oil on canvas
Laura Fitzgerald (Dublin), Portrait of a Stone, video piece played on two cube monitors
Jackie Hudson Lalor (Louth), After the Storm, oil on canvas
Vanessa Jones (Dublin), Self-Portrait with Snail Shells, oil on canvas
Emmet Kierans (London), At One with Nature, oil on wood panel
Christopher Lindhorst (Dublin), Solomon, photograph
Sinead Lucey (Kilkenny), HSE Heroes, The Wonderful Staff of St. Joseph’s Ward, St Columba’s Care Home, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, April 2020, oil on wood panel
Matthew McCabe (Kildare), MCR1 variant phenotype, oil on canvas
Sathishaa Mohan (Dublin), Dylan Logan, photograph
Theresa Nanigian (Dublin), Jacek & Seamus, photograph
Elizabeth O’Kane (Dublin), Selam, resin on mahogany base
Gillian O’Shea (Dublin), Lockdown, oil on canvas
Martin Redmond (Wexford), Patient, oil on linen
Nicholas Benedict Robinson (Wicklow), Dr Maeve Robinson, Family Planning Doctor & Educator, oil on birchwood
Paul Seawright (Antrim), Untitled – From Beasts of Burden: Rwanda 2020, archival pigment print
Niamh Smith (Dublin), Home, Soft Focus Life, Cocooning, photograph on fine art rag paper, archival
Sarah Bracken Soper (Dublin), Trailblazer, embroidery
Matthew Thompson (Dublin), Andrew John Hozier-Byrne, photograph on paper / carson platine fibre rag
Kathy Tynan (Dublin), Over Heavy Seas, oil on canvas
Simon Walsh (Dublin), Mrs Ryan in her Kitchen, Crumlin, photograph on paper
Shortlisted artists for the Zurich Young Portrait Prize 2020 at the National Gallery of Ireland:
Francesca Chu (Dublin, aged 5), Standing in a Tranquil Stream, watercolour, oil pastel, coloured pencil on paper
Margot Gillespie (Dublin, aged 5) Katelynn my Bestie, paint on canvas
Conor McPolin (Dublin, aged 6), Conor, paint on paper
Muireann O’Reilly (Dublin, aged 3), The sad pirate who couldn’t find treasure, paint on paper
Cara Sinclair (Dublin, aged 5), Woodland Girl, flowers and natural materials
Eloise Cassidy (Kildare, aged 11), 20 Seconds, digital photo on paper
Zihan He (Dublin, aged 11), Me, pencil on paper
Emily McAdam (Dublin, aged 11), Zara, acrylic on canvas board
Hope Stephens (Dublin, aged 8), Me When I’m Bored, crayons, markers, pritt stick, paper on paper
Jiaya Sun (Dublin, aged 10), Myself Eating Ice Cream, paint on canvas
Jodie Lavery (Derry, aged 15), Pandemic, watercolour and pen on paper
Seán Lynch (Meath, aged 15), Ukki, ballpoint pen on paper
Ross McHale (Kildare, aged 15), Mixed Emojions, digital
Eva McParland (Dublin, aged 14), Is this Normal?, pencil on paper
Zli Yang (Dublin, aged 12), A girl in silence, paint on canvas
JohnLuka Doherty (Dublin, aged 17), Joey –Basketball coach, acrylic, pencil, pen on cardboard
Alannah Ferry (Donegal, aged 18), Portrait of The Pandemic, scrap metal, solder, newspaper clippings printed during the Covid-19 lockdown, PVA glue, marbles, voice recorder chip, fishing wire, mask, steel wool, clay, nail polish and glitter on canvas
Julia Galarowicz (Limerick, aged 17), Dom, pencil on paper
Abbey O’Keefe (Limerick, aged 16), Daydreamer, paint on canvas
Síobhra O’Reardon-Farrell (Dublin, aged 18), Richard, oil on canvas
Sean Rainbird, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland, said, “We were thrilled to receive so many entries to both competitions in 2020, as we continue to raise the profile of contemporary portraiture. In November, our visitors will be able to see wonderful new works by artists of all ages at the Gallery, and later at Crawford Art Gallery in Cork. It’s terrific to welcome Zurich back to partner with us once again to showcase portraiture in such an exciting way.”
Neil Freshwater, CEO of Zurich, said, ”The quality of works shortlisted for both the Zurich Portrait Prize and Zurich Young Portrait Prize is impressive, and we are delighted to see such a diverse selection in this year’s competitions. We look forward to seeing these works unveiled in the Gallery in November and enjoying the new perspectives that they bring. We are very proud to continue to sponsor these prizes and to foster the creativity of artists of all ages.”
Find out more at www.nationalgallery.ie.
