A new £10,000 art prize has been announced by a London-based retailer in a bid to inspire the next generation of artists.
Cass Art, which has a family legacy of supporting artists in the capital for more than 120 years, launched the UK-wide competition this week. It will be judged by an expert panel comprising Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist of the Year winner Curtis Holder, The National Portrait Gallery’s BP Portrait Award winner Justin Mortimer, Sky Arts’ Artist of the Year judge Kathleen Soriano, gallery owner Pippy Houldsworth, TalkArt co-host Robert Diament, Saatchi Art’s The Other Art Fair founder Ryan Stanier and acclaimed artist Sinta Tantra.
Cass Art’s manifesto is ‘Let’s fill this town with artists’ and the new prize embodies this ambition by welcoming artists of all abilities and experience. There are categories for oil, watercolour, acrylic, drawing and sketching, 3D artwork, mixed media and print making to ensure a wide representation of art.
As well as receiving £10,000, the overall winner will have their work exhibited at The Other Art Fair.
Mark Cass, the founder of Cass Art, said “My family has a long and proud history of supporting artists and, continuing this legacy, we are delighted to launch The Cass Art Prize. There truly is something for everyone with this prize and we look forward to seeing and showcasing the incredible talent.”
Cass Art opened its first art supplies store at 13 Charing Cross in 1984, on a site that has been an art shop for more than 100 years. There are now 14 stores nationwide.
Cass’s great-great uncles, Paul and Bruno Cassirer, made their names in the late 1890s as two of Europe’s most renowned art dealers and were largely responsible for championing French impressionists such as Monet, Cezanne and Van Gogh. Paul Cassirer hosted an early Van Gogh show when the late artist was still virtually unknown – he even bought nine Van Gogh artworks himself, including Sunflowers, which cost £110.
Cass’ late father, Wilfred, launched the Cass Sculpture Foundation, which commissioned more than 450 sculptures from emerging artists and was responsible for the first three commissions on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. One of the artists it funded was a young Thomas Heatherwick, who created a pavilion at the sculpture park in 1992.
The work of the winners and selected artists will be showcased at a special exhibition from November 7-16 at Copeland Gallery in Peckham.
