Art

The finalists for this year’s Hennessy Portrait Prize

Twelve artists have been chosen as finalists for the Hennessy Portrait Prize 2015. Click through the entries on our gallery and judge for yourself.

Wed Sept 30 2015 - 12:00

Hennessy and the National Gallery of Ireland announced the 12 finalists chosen for the Hennessy Portrait Prize 2015.

The finalists were selected from hundreds of entries from artists living in Ireland, and Irish artists abroad.

The panel of judges, comprising Aidan Dunne (Art Critic for this newspaper); Colin Davidson RUA (artist); Catherine Marshall (scholar and curator) and Anne Hodge (curator, prints and drawings, NGI), was chaired by the director of the National Gallery of Ireland, Sean Rainbird.

'Ferdia' by Helen O’Sullivan-Tyrrell, one of the 12 portraits shortlisted for this year’s Hennessy Portrait Prize
'Ferdia' by Helen O’Sullivan-Tyrrell, one of the 12 portraits shortlisted for this year’s Hennessy Portrait Prize

The short-listed artists for the Hennessy Portrait Prize 2015 are:

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  • Catherine Barron from Co. Kilkenny; Self Portrayal  – acrylic ink on shellac records
  • Gerry Blake from Co. Wicklow; Carmel (from "The Grey and the Green") – photograph on fine art paper
  • Simon Burch from Co. Dublin; Ruby Walsh – photograph on photographic paper
  • Aidan Crotty from Co. Sligo; Self-portrait with a Flyer – oil on canvas
  • Eoin Heaney from Co. Dublin; Last Words – video on digital screen
  • Mark Heng from Co. Limerick; Self-portrait with Hat and Apron - acrylic on board
  • Stephen Johnston from Lisburn; The Artist – oil on canvas
  • Vera Klute from Co. Dublin; Anne Ryder – oil on canvas
  • Miseon Lee from Co. Dublin; A Portrait of my Son – oil on canvas
  • Janet Mullarney from Co. Dublin; A Triptych Self-portrait: Research; Picasso's daughter; Pink fighter – papier-maché, wire and tin; wood and ink; plaster and wire

Two of last year’s finalists made the shortlist again:

  • Mandy O'Neill from Co. Dublin; Jody from the series 'Promise' – archival photographic print
  • Helen O'Sullivan-Tyrrell from Belgium; Ferdia  - oil on canvas

The short-listed artists’ works will be exhibited in the National Gallery of Ireland from 14 November 2015 until the 14 February 2016. On Tuesday, 17 November 2015, one artist will be announced as the winner of the Hennessy Portrait Prize 2015 and will receive a prize of €15,000. The winning artist will also be awarded a commission worth €5,000 to produce a portrait for inclusion in the National Portrait Collection.

Speaking on behalf of the judging panel, Colin Davidson added, “The judges are delighted to have been given the opportunity to select from such a diverse body of entries. Our shortlist comprises works by artists practicing in the mediums of paint, photography, sculpture and video, each addressing their unique interpretation of what it is to make a portrait. It is encouraging to see so many artists engaging in, through their own fresh and dynamic approaches, this most ancient of genres. It is our hope that each of the works in this shortlist might challenge the viewer to bring their individual interpretations and, in turn, highlight the many and varied possibilities for portraiture today."

Open to artists in all disciplines, the aim of the Hennessy Portrait Prize is to showcase and encourage interest in contemporary portraiture, and to raise the profile of the National Portrait Collection at the National Gallery of Ireland. See www.hennessy.com.