The London gallery has confirmed the four shortlisted artists for this year’s BP Portrait Award, the winner of which will be announced in June.
With the prize being awarded in a ceremony on the 11th June, the National Portrait Gallery has confirmed the four shortlisted artists up for this year’s award, who were selected from 2,667 entries from 88 countries.
Submitted for judging anonymously by a panel which included journalist and broadcaster Rosie Millard and artist Glenn Brown, the four portraits in the running for the first prize are: An Angel At My Table; Time Traveller, Matthew Napping by Felicia Forte which shows her partner Matthew DeJong asleep in bed; Ania Hobson’s A Portrait Of two Female Painters, depicting the artist and her sister in law, Stevie Dix, and Zhu Tongyao’s portrait of his Italian neighbour, Simone.
All four of the artists have been shortlisted for the first prize in the BP Portrait Award. Miriam Escofet has been selected four times for previous BP Portrait Award exhibitions, Felicia Forte was selected for the 2015 exhibition and Ania Hobson was selected for exhibition in 2017. This is the first time Tongyao Zhu has entered the competition.
The BP Portrait Award has a first prize of £35,000, making it one of the largest for any global arts competition. The winner also receives, at the Gallery’s discretion, a commission worth £7,000 (agreed between the National Portrait Gallery and the artist). The second prize winner receives £12,000 and a third prize of £10,000 is also awarded. The BP Young Artist Award, with a prize of £9,000 goes to one selected artist aged between 18 and 30.
2018 marks the 39th year the award has been held at the National Portrait Gallery and 29th year of sponsorship by BP. The BP Portrait Award 2018 exhibition will run at the National Portrait Gallery, London, from Thursday 14 June to Sunday 23 September 2018.
For more information visit: https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/bp-portrait-award-2018/exhibition/