Crawford has eyes on the prize

A prestigious portrait competition will be dropping jaws on Leeside for the first time next year.

In a new partnership between the National Gallery of Ireland and Cork’s Crawford Art Gallery, the Zurich Portrait Prize exhibition will travel to a venue outside of Dublin for the first time since it began in 2014.

The annual competition showcases contemporary portraiture and attracts entries from across the island of Ireland and from Irish artists living abroad.

The exhibition will feature a shortlist of portraits chosen by the 2019 judging panel which comprises Mike Fitzpatrick, Head of Limerick School of Art and Design, Professor Fiona Kearney, founding Director of the Glucksman, and Mick O'Dea, artist and member of the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA).

Mary McCarthy, Director of Crawford Art Gallery commented: “Crawford Art Gallery is delighted to partner for the first time with the National Gallery of Ireland on the hugely anticipated Zurich Portrait Prize exhibition. We believe it will enable our audiences to make connections with our wider collection and supports our deeper ongoing collaboration with the National Gallery of Ireland.”

Sean Rainbird, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland said: “As the Gallery continues to grow its national footprint, we’re thrilled to bring the Zurich Portrait Prize to Cork."

The exhibition will run at Crawford Art Gallery from January to April 2020. The exhibition opens in the National Gallery of Ireland on 5 October.