BP Portrait Award 2011

Author

Alison Weir is one of this country's most successful historians and novelists. She has studied the British monarchy since the age of fourteen. Her non-fiction books include The Six Wives of Henry VIII, The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn, Isabella: She-Wolf of France and Mary Boleyn: 'The Great and Infamous Whore' (forthcoming 2011). Her novels include Innocent Traitor and the most recent bestseller The Captive Queen.

Specifications

Pub. date: 16th June 2011
Price: £8.99
ISBN: 978 1 85514 449 1
Format: 190 x 125mm
Extent: 80 pages
Illustrations: 65 colour
Binding: Paperback
Category: Contemporary Art

Out of print

BP Portrait Award 2011
Essay by Alison Weir

Featuring works from an international list of artists, the BP Portrait Award highlights the vitality of portrait painting today. This book presents the diverse range of styles in contemporary portraiture and the variety of techniques used by artists working in the field today. Historian and novelist Alison Weir’s introductory essay explores what makes a good painted portrait, the reasons why portraits are painted, and their appeal to writers past and present.

The BP Portrait Award, now in its twenty-second year, is one of Britain’s most prestigious art prizes, and is the leading showcase for artists throughout the world specialising in portraiture. Last year more than 200,000 people visited the exhibition, which is based on the competition open to all artists aged 18 and over from around
the world.

The catalogue features 60 works from an international list of artists, which together display a diverse range of styles and painterly techniques. It also includes a fascinating essay by bestselling historian and novelist Alison Weir and an illustrated article by the Travel Award winner Paul Beel.

Beel describes the journey he undertook to Corfu to paint a large-scale polyptych of a nudist beach, which portrays the wide range of locals and tourists Beel encountered during a month-long stay on the island.

This product is supplied by the National Portrait Gallery Company Limited. Every purchase supports the National Portrait Gallery.