The National Portrait Collection was founded almost 140 years ago at the National Gallery of Ireland. For years the gallery has been adding to its historic holdings through a programme of commissions, but this is the first time that it has acquired new work by way of a competitive process. The Hennessy Portrait Prize, founded in March this year, seeks to encourage contemporary Irish artists to engage with portraiture as a genre and explore its potential in a variety of different media. The winner will receive €15,000 in prize money and a further €5,000 to produce a new work for the national collection.
Twelve artists have been shortlisted for the inaugural award and will feature in an exhibition at the gallery until 8 February 2015. The winner will be announced on 11 November.
Update: Congratulations to Nick Miller, recently announced as the inaugural prize-winner.
The shortlisted artists’ works will be exhibited in the National Gallery of Ireland from 8 November–8 February 2015. The winner will be announced on 11 November.
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The many faces of Mary Magdalene