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Bp Portrait Accolade Exhibition 2019 (Part 1): Overview Critique

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Entrance to the BP Portrait Award 2019

This yr it's the 40th yr of the Portrait Award which started inwards 1980.Time to receive got stock - therefore I'm dividing my review of the the BP Portrait Award 2019 exhibition into 2 parts equally follows.

PART ONE - OVERVIEW & Critique

This includes
  • my overall impression of the exhibition
  • a commentary on the relative condition of this exhibition after xl years- equally it downsizes inwards to a greater extent than ways than 1
    • the overall character of portraits hung
    • the major employment alongside the hang
    • the competence of the Judging Panel this yr
    • the lack of a leader of contemporary portraiture who drives the rigor inwards relation to both evolution of the contest together with alternative of portraits
  • why I call back it runs the peril of becoming the IBM of portraiture competitions.

PART TWO - ANALYSIS & what's changed

This covers my analysis of what has changed inwards this year's exhibition - LESS together with SMALLER are recurrent themes
  • a detailed analysis of what has changed inwards price of number of portraits, size together with type, composition together with color together with who are the subjects - alongside some number crunching for comparing alongside in conclusion yr
  • what I liked inwards price of portraits

The hang makes it hard to meet all the portraits this yr - except from a distance

This review is much after than usual. I wrote my foremost 2 posts dorsum inwards June - see
One of the reasons for the concur upwardly was I was trying to post service my video interview alongside Charlie Schaffer together with spent a really frustrating twenty-four hr menstruation trying to function out why my video software wouldn't function properly. (Still non worked that 64 chip upgrade number out!). Then when I reviewed my photos I realised that I needed some meliorate ones for the review of the exhibition. Great ones of private paintings together with artists alongside their paintings - but non ones which gave a goodness sense of the exhibition.  So had to give-up the ghost dorsum together with receive got some more.

I receive got a employment alongside writing reviews when I receive got something negative I actually desire to say....

Which mightiness precisely receive got been the biggest argue for the delay.  I've said bits of what I desire to tell to diverse people together with I straight off demand to write it downward too.

[Let me know what you lot call back on the related post service on my Facebook Page where comments are currently accumulating quickly!]

The most prestigious portrait icon contest inwards the world? Really?


The BP Portrait Award is the most prestigious portrait icon contest inwards the ground together with represents the really best inwards contemporary portrait painting. BP Portrait Award 2019 microsite - introduction 
I call back this disputation is what prompted the tenor of my review this year.

Two assertions are made which I call back demand challenging i.e. that this portrait contest is
  • the most prestigious portrait icon contest inwards the ground
  • represents the really best inwards contemporary portrait painting
I gauge the BP Portrait Award tin even therefore brand some claim this championship but ONLY because it's the 1 major portrait icon contest which gets entries from across the world. Most of the others are restrictive equally to where the creative individual lives together with only receive got entries from people who alive inwards the host country.

It's sure as shooting NOT prestigious because it's the portrait icon contest alongside the most impressive cash prize.  

The First Prize is £35,000 together with the potential for a committee from the National Portrait Gallery. Sounds goodness until you lot expression at the competition!

Cash prizes for portrait icon competitions around the world include:
  • The Archibald Prize run yesteryear the Art Gallery of New South Wales
    • AUS$1000,000 First prize (= c.£56,500) 
    • awarded annually to the best portrait, 'preferentially of some human being or adult woman distinguished inwards art, letters, scientific discipline or politics, painted yesteryear whatever creative individual resident inwards Australasia’. 
    • The creative individual must receive got been resident inwards Commonwealth of Australia or New Zealand for the eligibility period
  • The Doug Moran Prize run yesteryear the The Moran Arts Foundation (a charity)
    • AUS$150,000 First Prize (= c.£85,000) 
    • encourages both excellence together with inventiveness inwards contemporary Australian portraiture together with has a huge cash prize - but only for Australians!  
    • The contest requires that the creative individual is an Australian citizen or resident for the 12 months preceding the entries closed appointment together with therefore must your sitter.
  • The Outwin Boochever Prize run - on a triennial footing - yesteryear the Smithsonian
    • $25,000 + a committee (= c.£20,000 + commission)
    • The contest is only opened upwardly to professional person artists historic menstruation eighteen together with over who are living together with working inwards the U.S.A. (and its territories).  
    • It mightiness non receive got a large prize but it's start to leading the pack inwards price of excogitation inwards 2019!
    • See my weblog post service in conclusion yr Call for Entries: 2019 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition
For the 5th triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery invites artists across the U.S.A. to broaden the Definition of portraiture through submissions inwards all visual arts media including but non restricted to painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking, textiles, video, performance, together with digital or time-based media. The resulting exhibition, opening inwards Nov 2019, volition celebrate the portrait’s capacity to expose facets of its subject’s identity. Whether realist or allegorical, participative or activist, intimate or documentary, each of the selected artworks volition underscore the enduring relevance of portraiture inwards contemporary life.
Artists receive got complained loudly that the BP Portrait Award is stuck inwards the past since it is therefore restrictive equally to what media tin endure used for an entry!  The entries do non learn hung inwards the NPG therefore why trammel the entries to media which would allow the entry to hang on the walls of the gallery for many years? Only those competing for the prizes demand to demonstrate competence inwards creating archival paintings patch working from alive sitters.

It's non prestigious (i.e. exceptional) because of where it is held - because other national fine art museums also host portrait competitions

It's non prestigious inwards price of the calibre of the Judging Panel.  Absolutely NONE of the Judges inwards 2019 receive got whatever involvement equally an practiced on contemporary portrait icon on a routine footing and/or are established Portrait Painters who function to commission.

It's sure as shooting NOT the portrait contest alongside the most innovative portrait paintings.  In my view, I call back both the Archibald together with the Outwin Boochever receive got together with volition both generate much to a greater extent than innovative approaches to contemporary portraiture from the artists who movement into their competitions - together with much to a greater extent than complex together with interesting portraits alongside to a greater extent than multifariousness inwards price of media together with its application.

I disliked a number of aspects of this exhibition - most of which touching on on the reputation of the competition. 

This is the best of what was submitted?


Make no mistake, in that place are a lot of goodness portrait paintings inwards the exhibition.  However
  • 'good' does not, overall, equate to exciting.
  • there are also rather a lot of really ordinary together with wholly unexceptional portraits. 
  • Some were precisely evidently tiresome and/or fuddy duddy. I'll comment at to a greater extent than length tomorrow.
One would similar to call back that the exhibition criterion should endure such that MOST of those selected for the exhibition would endure capable of producing a portrait to NPG required committee standards but sadly that's only non the case.

The totality of the portraits selected inwards no agency represents the best of contemporary portraiture today. That's "no way" inwards relation to other contemporary portraiture exhibited inwards the Great Britain together with also inwards relation to the residue of the world.

I've been left wondering what got left behind inwards the stacks inwards the room where the Judging was done.

Was it actually the instance that the selectors could notice therefore really few exciting and/or challenging and/or LARGE and/or COMPLEX portrait paintings from the submissions?

Or it it the instance the alternative of the paintings for the exhibition was inwards outcome dictated purely yesteryear the amount of infinite available inwards the Porter Gallery? I receive got to tell I really much suspect the latter has been really influential.

Or is it almost who was on the Judging Panel this yr (see below)

You may call back I'm beingness picky. However fifty-fifty those who receive got non visited the exhibition tin expression at the portraits together with compare them to other prestigious portrait exhibitions - together with meet what conclusions you lot draw.

COMPARE the portraits selected for the BP Portrait Award 2019 Exhibition with (say)
  • past exhibitions of the BP Portrait Award betwixt 2004 together with 2018 - usage the exhibitors link to meet thumbnails of the paintings - the early ones function best. I've been roofing this exhibition since 2007 together with to my hear in that place is no enquiry this is the to the lowest degree impressive to date.
  • the 2019 Archibald finalists - much to a greater extent than variation inwards price of composition together with blueprint together with icon - addition sitters are also notable
  • the 2016 Outwin Boouchever finalists - agency to a greater extent than complex! (not to cite variation inwards media!).
  • the 2019 Doug Moran finalists - inwards the video below - lots of actually interesting icon together with BIGGER paintings!



The problems alongside the hang


Let's start alongside the argue why portrait artists movement into competitions - together with inwards particular what's unlike almost an fine art contest almost portraiture to whatever other fine art competition.

To give-up the ghost a portrait painter you lot must:
  • be prepared to mainly earn your living through commissions (although some also instruct and/or pigment even therefore lives)
  • be able to function to commission
  • prospective clients demand to endure able to meet your portraiture function closed up
  • market your portraiture to potential commission clients via exhibitions together with online - therefore that clients tin meet together with appreciate your work
One of the rationales for a portrait painter to movement into the contest is 
  • to learn their portrait icon seen yesteryear the populace together with potential futurity clients
  • to earn portrait commissions from their portrait equally seen inwards the exhibition
  • to prepare their careers equally portrait painters - or to fulfil a wishing to give-up the ghost a portrait painter
All of the to a higher house rather assumes that the viewing populace tin meet their portrait icon properly!

What's happened I call back alongside this year's hang is that whoever hung it went for a quasi aesthetic appeal rather than anything whatsoever to do alongside the artists' motivation for entering

The bulk of the portrait paintings on the destination wall are to a higher house a comfortable 

 The major employment alongside the hang is that a important purpose of it feels quite 'apart' from the viewing public - i.e. the people who may desire to committee an creative individual to reach a portrait for them.
  • it mightiness expression goodness from a distance - but you only cannot meet all the portraits - because they are hung therefore high. For instance a lot of the destination wall receive got portraits hung to a higher house caput summit - i.e. therefore high it is absolutely impossible to expression at them properly. 
  • I counted together with nearly 20% of the portraits inwards the exhibition are hung far besides high - which is completely ridiculous 
  • This type of hang sure as shooting completely "dents" the notion that this is a prestigious portraiture competition
In my view it is alone disrespectful to care for portrait painters inwards this way - equally if this was "just some other fine art exhibition".

If you lot "sky" a portrait you lot are insulting together with disrespecting the portrait creative individual - it's equally uncomplicated equally that.

More portraits hung agency to a higher house people's heads - fifty-fifty those who are tall!

Visually the hang mightiness expression attractive - from a distance - but from the perspective of an creative individual who is hoping to receive got his icon appreciated yesteryear a potential customer it is actually non at all helpful to hang it inwards this way. I met some artists on the press persuasion morn who were actually rather upset yesteryear what had happened - together with I empathise really much alongside their perspective.

However if you lot select Judges - non 1 of whom knows what it's similar to endure an creative individual who industrial plant inwards committee - what tin you lot expect?

The employment alongside the Gallery


Gallery has been opened upwardly - which makes it expression meliorate - but lost walls for hanging inwards the process

The exhibition has been DOWNGRADED - it no longer occupies the most of import galleries inwards the National Portrait Gallery - equally it did for really many years. 
  • The in conclusion 2 years has seen the place of the competition's exhibition moved (see below)
    • from the large Wolfson Gallery (Room 42) 
    • to the Porter Gallery (Room 34) 
  • This is despite the fact that it is the only exhibition held at the NPG during the year which has regularly achieved betwixt 250,000 together with 350,000 visitors inwards the past
This inwards plough has had a MAJOR touching on on the number together with size of the portraits beingness hung.
  • The number of portraits hung receive got been radically reduced equally a resultant yesteryear to a greater extent than than 20%.  
  • The number of Great Britain artists exhibiting inwards the exhibition receive got also been halved compared to the number non that long ago.
The Gallery also uses a large purpose of 1 wall ( on the left equally you lot enter) for TEXT(!) almost the exhibition together with its sponsor - which it could receive got located either side of a brusk artificial wall / concealment located betwixt the 2 entrance doors - non obscuring views together with non taking upwardly valuable wall infinite for the paintings!!

In my experience really few people ever expression at the text together with there's some considerable reach to expression at a major prune of the amount of text. It seems to receive got expanded a LOT over the years - together with lost sight of the fact that wall infinite is for hanging paintings!

downloadable project design of the size of place together with size of the unlike galleries

I'm left wondering if the relocation of the exhibition has also led to a reject inwards visitor numbers - given that this has ever been the most pop exhibition at the NPG every yr - yesteryear some way. For instance inwards 2011, the BP Portrait Award 2011 had 341,050 visitors.

NPG nautical chart of its declining visitors
see National Portrait Gallery - Visitor Numbers 1980 - 2018

(Incidentally, expression for details of visitors to whatever of the recent exhibitions on the NPG website together with you' won't notice them - precisely a nautical chart alongside a steep reject inwards relation to overall numbers since 2015. Which is actually strange for a Gallery which lately discovered that it has had some actually serious problems alongside counting numbers - together with for 1 which gets populace funding for which it has to endure accountable.
SEE London's National Portrait Gallery's steep reject inwards visitors due to counting error)

So why movement the exhibition?


Last yr the Wolfson together with neighbouring galleries to the correct of the Main Hall were given over to the Michael Jackson exhibition. You tin read what I idea of that in The in conclusion twenty-four hr menstruation of Michael Jackson at the NPG - together with meet for yourself how few people in that place were inwards the galleries which are unremarkably packed every twenty-four hr menstruation of the calendar week alongside people viewing the BP Portrait Award Exhibition. I couldn't believe it. In my experience truthful "blockbusters" (elsewhere) inwards their in conclusion calendar week are absolutely stuffed alongside visitors at all hours of the twenty-four hr menstruation together with the especially extended slow entries. If that doesn't move on therefore it is yesteryear Definition NOT a blockbuster!

I sure as shooting wasn't lone inwards beingness unimpressed.
This year, the rooms are occupied yesteryear the Cindy Sherman retrospective exhibition which has garnered meliorate reviews together with sure as shooting makes goodness usage of all the rooms. But I'd keep that the NPG could receive got both exhibitions using the largest gallery - if they had a rethink on timing.

Bottom line of piece of work - I'm non at all happy almost the downgrade inwards price of place together with its touching on on the number together with size of what gets shown - together with the hang - together with I don't suppose those entering the contest are either.

When is the BP Portrait Award going to review its purpose together with scope?


More faces alongside an African heritage inwards the exhibition this year
What nosotros got this yr was quite a chip of hoopla almost how it was 40 years since the BP Portrait Award (John Player Award 1980-1989; BP Portrait Award 1990-2019) started

However - therefore far equally I am aware - in that place has been no consultation of what the footing is to claim it's the most prestigious portrait contest - together with how to keep that claim - or serious endeavour to
  • take stock of how portraiture has changed inwards the in conclusion xl years
  • take the chance to review whether - after xl years - in that place possibly ought to endure a review of 
    • either the nature of portraiture which this Award should support 
    • or the media which this contest should allow - since portraits are non beingness added to the permanent collection of the NPG. (Criteria could endure changed to the outcome of only those working inwards oil, acrylic or egg tempera are eligible for the hand prizes.)
    • or whether it should alter its call to the Portrait PAINTING Award (given the electrical flow limitation of its reach together with the fact that the Gallery also has the Taylor Wessting Portrait Photography Award)
  • consider whether - given its increasing international condition - the fiscal vantage offered should endure a lot to a greater extent than than than it is at present.
  • consider whether BP is actually the best sponsor for the honour inwards the context of a contemporary lodge which is increasingly concerned almost the usage of fossil fuels.
  • consider whether it it continues inwards the Porter Gallery (I'm aware of the proposals to reconfigure the construction of the National Portrait Gallery an rehang its collection - together with this Exhibition needs a much meliorate location!)
In my view, I call back in that place is a existent danger that the BP Portrait Award has been 
  • "resting on its laurels" inwards price of purpose together with scope
  • could endure caught napping inwards the futurity and/or potentially damaged yesteryear its sponsorship
Indeed I call back in that place is a really existent peril it's turning into the IBM of portrait competitions. (£35,000 BP Portrait Award 2019 - How to movement into together with how to improve your chances of beingness selected.
  • 40th BP Portrait Award (2019) Shortlist
  • Selected Artists together with statistics - BP Portrait Award 2019
  • BP Portrait Award - The Thirty Year Vote - which is your favourite?
  • Charlie Shaffer wins BP Portrait Award 2019

    • BP Portrait Award 2018

    BP Portrait Award 2017

    BP Portrait Award 2016

    BP Portrait Award 2015

    BP Portrait Award 2014

    BP Portrait Award 2013

    BP Portrait Award 2012

    BP Portrait Award 2011

    BP Portrait Award 2010

    BP Portrait Award 2009

    BP Portrait Award 2008

    BP Portrait Award 2007

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