LONDON.- Maev Kennedy of The Guardian reported that the venerable BP Portrait Award has attracted a record number of entries in its 24th year at the National Portrait Gallery, and that the lure of a useful £25,000, and the chance of a career-boosting commission for the permanent collection, attracted 955 entries this year, more than 10% up on last year.
Sandy Nairne, the director of the gallery, said the entries included some remarkable works, from the intimate to the bold, which demonstrated the vitality of the art form.
Four young artists were shortlisted yesterday for the prize, out of the 54 selected for the exhibition which opens at the gallery on June 17. The shortlisted young artists are: Paul Harris, who has worked on Hereford Cathedral, for a portrait of his business partner; Fergus Mayhew, for a portrait of his mother Bunty; Sara Shamma, a Syrian artist working in Damascus, for a self-portrait; and Stephen Shankland for The Miracle, a portrait of his wife and their son, who was born prematurely 16 months ago.