SPI, Rust-en-Vrede Art Gallery launch first portrait competition

The first recipient of the SPI National Portrait Award will be named in August 2013 and will receive a significant monetary prize of R100 000. The winning work - as well as around 40 other outstanding entries - will tour South Africa in an exhibition presented in collaboration with the Sanlam Art Collection and VISI magazine.

Portraiture holds a significant place in Western art tradition and the award aims to shine the spotlight firmly on this evocative and celebrated genre. South African artists from all walks of life are challenged to enter works which exemplify their ability in the medium of their choice (excluding lens-based artwork, i.e. video, film, photography), within the context of past and contemporary art history.

Works must not be signed

A panel of three judges will identify the winning portrait and select additional works for the national touring exhibition. All works will be judged anonymously as artists are requested not to sign their work. The judges will be announced shortly, and the panel will be convened by Stefan Hundt, head of the Sanlam Private Investments Art Advisory Service and Curator of the Sanlam Art Collection.

"We feel particularly connected to this new platform for art in South Africa," says Daniël Kriel, CEO of SPI. "Our expertise lies in wealth management, where we nurture and value close personal relationships with our clients. We know art is a passion for many of our clients, and of increasing investment interest, and few things are more intimate or personal than a portrait. A commissioned portrait can be the height of flattery, or the paragon of vanity, yet remains a defining testament to the person's individuality."

Rich and controversial history

With beginnings in ancient Egypt and classical Greece, today portraiture features prominently as a specialist practice patronised largely by private corporations, state and academic institutions. Hundt says that South Africa has had a rich, and at times controversial, experience of portraiture through its social and political history. "Accommodating the intentions of the commissioner and expectations of the subject requires the artist to invoke an extensive repertoire of skills and knowledge to fashion a work of substance that exceeds the minimum requirements of likeness and character."

The SPI National Portrait Award 2013 is open to anyone resident in South Africa older than 21 years. Entries should be received by 19 August 2013. The award ceremony will take place on 27 August 2013 at the Rust-en-Vrede Art Gallery in Durbanville, Cape Town where the selected works will be on exhibition and open for public viewing from 28 August until 8 October 2013.

For more information, entry forms and competition rules, go to www.spiportraitaward.co.za.