First Prize

Girl in a Liberty Dress
by Clara Drummond, 2016
Oil on board
260 x 370mm 

First Prize: £30,000

At the judges’ discretion the winner will also receive a commission worth £5,000 to be agreed between the National Portrait Gallery and the artist.

Born in Edinburgh, Cambridgeshire-based Clara Drummond studied modern languages at Cambridge University before going on to study at the Prince’s Drawing School. Her work was previously selected for the BP Portrait Award in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2014.

Clara’s shortlisted portrait is of her friend, the artist Kirsty Buchanan, who wore a vintage Liberty dress to the sittings. This was in reference to the fact that both artists were working with the William Morris Society archive at the time and admired the hand-drawn fabric, wallpaper and tapestry patterns by William Morris's wife Jane and daughter May. Clara says of Kirsty: ‘She is inspiring because she is always immersed in the ideas around whatever she is making at the time – history, nature, mythology and art all feed into her work – so when I am drawing or painting her it feels more like a collaboration than a portrait sitting.’

The judges said: ‘This year’s overall winner was noted by all of the judges for its subtle, enigmatic nature, and for the indelible impression the artist’s skill makes on the viewer.’