1,884 artists from 72 different countries sent in 4,756 entries for the Derwent Art Prize 2020. This didn’t make the task of selecting the shortlist and the winners easy for our judges, Director of Turner Contemporary Victoria Pomery, artist Charles Avery and art critic Alice Rawsthorn.
“Selecting the strongest works for the exhibition was enjoyable, but very difficult, because there were so many entries with diverse techniques, materials and subject matter”, explains Alice Rawsthorn, author of Design as an Attitude and Hello World: Where Design Meets Life. “The quality of the entries was so high that we were spoilt for choice.”
Out of a shortlist of 70 artworks, the selectors eventually chose 4 winning pieces by artists from the UK and abroad. Without further ado, here are the names of our winners…
First Prize: Katie Sollohub, Blue Bedchamber (Strawberry Hill House)
The First Prize of £4,000 plus a year’s supply of Derwent products goes Katie Sollohub for Blue Bedchamber (Strawberry Hill House). This Sussex-based artist is interested in experiencing, documenting and translating the spaces where she lives and works through drawing. Her winning piece represents Strawberry Hill House in Twickenham, a Richmond borough heritage site where she worked in 2017.
Young Artist First Prize: Xuetong Wang, Dog Walker
Based in Baltimore, USA, Xuetong Wang received the Young Artist First Prize of £4,000 for Dog Walker. A self-described “illustrator, designer, and life enjoyer” Xuetong recently graduated from MFA in Illustration Practice from Maryland Institute College of Art. The artist’s winning sketch, from a series made in California, demonstrates a vibrant use of colour, composition and movement.
Second Prize: Maree Hughes, 15
Young Artist Second Prize: Chunxiao Fu, Autumn Language No.1
Maree Hughes wins the Second Prize of £2,000 for 15, a piece illustrating her search for a balance between painting and drawing. Based in Irvine, Scotland, this Glasgow School of Art alumna wrote that she was “very chuffed” to have her drawing selected for the Derwent Art Prize 2020.
The Young Artist Second Prize of £2,000 goes to Chunxiao Fu, from Hangzhou City, China, for Autumn Language No. 1. This charcoal landscape demonstrates an evocative use of light and darkness as well as a subtle sense of composition and perspective.
You can view the winning artworks as well as the other 66 pieces shortlisted for the Derwent Art Prize 2020 in a virtual exhibition. All artworks are for sale, so if one of them catches your fancy, you can support the artist by purchasing their work!
You are also invited to vote for your favourite in the People’s Choice Awards on Facebook or via email. Voting will close at midday on 1 May 2020, and the two artists with the most votes will be revealed on 12 May 2020 and win a share of the £1,000 prize money.
Congratulations to our 4 winners, and good luck to all artists still in the running for the People’s Choice Awards!