Celebrating contemporary Portuguese artists and supporting children's charities, SAF will showcase the finalists' creations in Lisbon from 27 November to 14 December.
The Portuguese branch of the Sovereign Art Foundation, the SAF Association, has published a list of 33 artists selected as finalists for the third edition of the Portuguese Sovereign Art Prize. This annual recognition recognizes the artistic contributions of contemporary creatives in Portugal and the Portuguese community abroad.
The Prize not only provides international recognition and financial benefits to countless artists, but also provides funds, through the sale of the finalists' works, for numerous charitable programs that support disadvantaged youth in Portugal.
More than 200 artists were nominated by a council of independent arts professionals, which consists of some of Portugal's most prominent critics, curators and academics.
Secondly, the finalists were selected by a committee of seven technical experts from around the world, namely:
Tim Marlowe, Executive Director of the Design Museum, London;
David Elliott, writer, curator and director of modern and contemporary art museums;
Cassio Markowski, artist and winner of the 2023 Portuguese Sovereign Art Prize;
Philippe Vergne, Director of the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art;
Vicente Todoli, artistic director of the Pirelli HangarBicocca Foundation in Milan;
Maura Marvão, Director, Philips Portugal and Spain;
and João Paulo Queiroz, President of the Council of the National Society of Fine Arts.
The 33 works will be exhibited at the prestigious Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes in Lisbon, where they will be available to the public between November 27 and December 14, 2024. During this period, the jury will choose a winner who will receive a grand prize prize of €25,000.
In addition, the public will be invited to vote on their favorite final works, both on-site and online, to determine the winner of the €2,000 public voting prize.
All works will be sold at the finalists' exhibition or at a charity auction organized at Philips Auction House in London in collaboration with the Berardo Bacalhôa and Louise Simpson Collection.
Interested parties can subscribe to the Sharjah Art Foundation newsletter for more information about purchasing works, email [email protected] to express interest in a particular work, or request more information about concert tickets.
Proceeds from sales will be divided equally between the artists and SAF's artistic programs that support underprivileged children in Portugal. It is an opportunity for the public to engage with contemporary art and invest in unique, high-quality works while supporting local social responsibility actions.
Regarding this year's shortlist, David Elliott noted:
“The diversity of approaches, methods and media adopted by the artists of this third edition of the Sovereign Portuguese Art Prize is exceptional. There is much more to discover than meets the eye. Many of these works express a profound emotional expression – and the balance between male and female artists is remarkable.”
Howard Pelton, founder and president of the Sovereign Art Foundation, commented:
“This is our third annual Portuguese Award for Professional Artists. Once again we have a cohesive selection that impressed the judges and demonstrated the strength and depth of Portuguese art. The final works represent both famous artists and new discoveries. This year, for the first time, we partnered with Coleção Berardo Bacalhôa to organize a gala dinner at the Palácio da Bacalhôa, where we will auction works to raise funds for our charitable programs for underprivileged children in Portugal.
A full gallery of the finalists and their selected works can be viewed, whose media range includes painting, sculpture, mixed media and photography here.
Learn more about the SAF’s mission at the Sovereign Art Foundation, website, And donate directly to this cause online here.
