Celebrating Portuguese contemporary artists and supporting children’s charities, the SAF Association will display the finalists’ creations in Lisbon between November 27 and December 14.
The Sovereign Art Foundation’s Portuguese branch, the SAF Association, has published the shortlist of 33 artists selected as finalists for the third edition of the Sovereign Portuguese Art Prize. This yearly recognition acknowledges the artistic contributions of contemporary creators within Portugal and the Portuguese community abroad.
The Prize not only offers international recognition and monetary benefits to countless artists but also, through the sale of the finalists’ artworks, generates funds for several charitable programs that assist disadvantaged youth in Portugal.
More than 200 artists were nominated by a council of independent professionals from the arts, comprised of some of Portugal’s most distinguished critics, curators and academics.
In a second phase, the finalists were chosen by a panel of seven art experts from around the world, namely:
Tim Marlow, executive director of the Design Museum, London;
David Elliot, writer, curator and director of modern and contemporary art museums;
Cassio Markowski, artist and winner of the Sovereign Portuguese Art Prize 2023;
Philippe Vergne, director of the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art;
Vicente Todolí, artistic director of the Pirelli HangarBicocca Foundation in Milan;
Maura Marvão, director of Philips in Portugal and Spain;
And João Paulo Queiroz, president of the National Society of Fine Arts Council.
The 33 works will be exhibited at the prestigious Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes in Lisbon, where they will be available for public viewing between November 27 and December 14, 2024. During this period, a panel of judges will select the winner, who will be awarded the Grand Prize worth €25,000.
In addition, the public will be invited to vote for their favourite finalist work, both at the exhibition and online, to determine the winner of the Public Vote Prize worth €2000.
All works will be sold at the finalists’ exhibition or the charity auction, held at the Philips Auction House in London in conjunction with the Berardo Bacalhôa and Louise Simpson Collection.
Interested parties can subscribe to the SAF newsletter to receive more information about purchasing works, email artpt@sovereignartfoundation.com to express their interest in a specific work or request more information about tickets for the gala.
Proceeds from sales will be distributed equally between artists and SAF art programmes that support disadvantaged children in Portugal. This is an opportunity for the public to get involved in contemporary art and invest in unique, high-quality works while supporting local social responsibility actions.
Regarding this year’s shortlist, David Elliott noted:
“The variety of approaches, styles and media adopted by the artists in this third edition of the Sovereign Portuguese Art Prize is extraordinary. There is much more to discover than it seems at first glance. Many of these works express a deep emotional expression – and the balance between female and male artists is fantastic.”
Howard Bilton, 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 shows the strength and depth of Portuguese art. The finalist works represent both renowned artists and new discoveries. This year, and for the first time, we have partnered with Coleção Berardo Bacalhôa to organise a gala dinner at Palácio da Bacalhôa, where we will auction the works to raise funds for our charitable programmes supporting disadvantaged children in Portugal”.
The complete gallery of finalists and their selected works, whose range of media includes painting, sculpture, mixed media and photography, can be viewed here.
Find out more about the SAF’s mission on the Sovereign Art Foundation website and donate directly to the cause online here.
