Fine Art Blog

Category: Art Awards

Art Awards

  • ‘Museum Of The Year 2013’ prize is awarded to the William Morris Gallery of Walthamstow, East London, UK

    http://www.fineartblog.co.uk/?p=713

    The William Morris Gallery (a museum) in Walthamstow has been awarded the Museum Of The Year 2013 by the Arts Fund, beating some very worthy competition and benefiting from a huge financial donation.


    Art Fund Logo

    This is good news in what has been a tense few years for Museums & local areas of historic interest with the Coalition government’s austerity measures resulting in cuts in local funding in these key areas. The relaunched gallery opened 10 months and is a shinning beacon in the borough for the arts and it is committed to promoting Morris’s legacy and life achievements.

    William Morris (1834-1896) was a man of immense achievement and talent: a textile designer, writer, poet, artist, a socialist and hugely influential in a number of fields. He was a founding member of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, The Kelmscott Publishing Press, The Socialist League, as well as being a key figure in both the Arts & Crafts Movement & the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.


    Photograph of William Morris, 1887

    Awarded yearly by the Arts Fund the prize rewards innovation in UK gallery & museums as well the creativity used in bringing artwork to life, in the previous year. As well as the main £100K prize the additional Clore prize is also jointly awarded, which allows £10K to promote learning schemes and will benefit the local community. Judges included: an MP – Labour MP Tristram Hunt (Stoke-on-Trent Central), a Journalist – Sarah Crompton (Telegraph’s arts editor) & artists – Roberta & Robert Smith.


    Photograph of the William Morris Gallery

    Director of the Arts Fund, Stephen Deuchar, had nothing but praise for Walthamstow Council and the members of the public who have been tirelessly campaigning for the building. After facing a potential closure, a public campaign led to a £3 million pound investment (funded equally by the council and the Heritage Lottery Fund) in the difficult restoration of this Georgian Building. The gallery is a tribute to his life and works & how fitting that it is within the building in Walthamstow that Morris grew up.

    Thank you

    James

    Useful Links:
    The Friends of the William Morris Gallery
    Guardian Article
    Art Fund Announcement
    More on William Morris

  • National Portrait Gallery – ‘ideath’ Painting of a girl on her iPod wins BP Visitor’s Choice Award 2010

    A picture of a girl on her iPod has become the annual winner of this prestigious prize sponsored by BP. The piece was taken from the ‘Visitor’s Choice’ exhibition that has been on display in the gallery.


    ‘ideath’ painting by Michal Ozibko

    Interestingly this was voted on by people actually visiting the museum, not by some ‘panel of experts’ as so often is the case & visitors where able to vote via a touch screen monitor outside the exhibition – new for the 2010 competition.

    Michal Ozibko, a Czechoslovakian born painter, produced a major piece measuring 65 inches across by 86 inches height & called ‘ideath.’ Nearly 26,000 visitors to the National Portrait Gallery voted & ‘ideath’ received over 15% of those, scooping the BP sponsored Portrait Award for 2010.

    You can see the voting results on the Gallery’s website on the links section

    Thank you

    Jessica

    Links:
    National Portrait Gallery

    Daily Telegraph’s coverage

    The Guardian’s coverage

  • Artist Rebecca Lardner – Limited Editions win fine art Award

    I thought I would give mention to Rebecca and her work, she was recently awarded Best New Artist 2008 by the UK’s Fine Art Trade Guild.

    This is quite a prestigious award in the Fine Art industry and demand for an artist’s work has historically rocketed after receiving the award, I’m sure her publisher Demontfort Fine Art, are very proud of her.

    (All At Sea by Rebecca Lardner)

    What is the secret to her success? Well I can certainly comment on the artwork itself and the public’s fondness for it.

    It evokes reminiscing of the British seaside towns that we have all visited at some time in our lives: The quirkiness of the town houses that are so familiar with those areas, normally in very garish colours I might add! the fishing boats, the wharfs, the moorings, the blueness of the sea, Punch and Judy!

    (Coming And Going by Rebecca Lardner)

    Sometimes I can look at Rebecca’s pictures, see the harbour scene, spot the seagulls and really I can feel the spray hitting my face and smell the salty sea water and for a moment I am taken away!

    (Seafarers I by Rebecca Lardner)

    Ill calm down now, I think I’m getting carried away?

    Thank you

    Russell

    Useful Links:
    http://www.seasidehistory.co.uk/
    http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
    The Fine Art Trade Guild