Zurich Portrait Prize celebrates artists young and old

One of 27 shortlisted artists at this year’s Zurich Portrait Prize, Enda Bowe wins €20,000 for his portrait photograph of a mother and her child. Bowe will also be commissioned to create a piece that will be included in the National Portrait Collection.

Joe Dunne and Salvatore of Lucan, were highly commended by the judges, each receiving €1,500 in prize money.

The inaugural Zurich Young Portrait Prize was launched this year and was open to entrants up to the age of 18. Yesterday the finalist of this prize gathered in the Millennium Wing studio to see the work of the 20 shortlisted artists in in four age categories (six years and under, seven-11, 12-15 and 16-18).

Callie Le Page, Jiaming Zheng, Erin Welch and Cara Pilbeam won in each of the four age categories. The overall winner, also a photograph, is a joint effort by Mabel Forsyth and Mary O’Carroll, both aged 12.

The Zurich Portrait Prize Exhibition is in the Portrait Gallery, National Gallery of Ireland (NGI) and the Zurich Young Portrait Prize Exhibition is in the Studio, the Millennium Wing, at NGI. In January 2020, both exhibitions will go on view at the Crawford Art Gallery, Cork.