The Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize 2017

About

All works available to purchase, a selection of these self-portraits will be acquired for the Next Generation Collection of the Ruth Borchard Collection. This collection of twenty-first century artists includes self-portraits by previous winners Shanti Panchal (2015), Thomas Newbolt (2013) and Celia Paul (2011).

The winner of this year’s self-portrait prize will be awarded a £10,000 Prize. The prestigious judging panel consists of Alastair Sooke (BBC Broadcaster and Art Critic, Daily Telegraph), Dr. Xavier Bray (Director, The Wallace Collection), Charlotte Mullins (Art Critic and Author Chief), Marilyn Scott (Director, The Lightbox Gallery, Woking), Shanti Panchal (Winner, Ruth Borchard Prize 2015), and Richard Borchard (son of Ruth Borchard).

The Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize started in 2011 to continue the original collection started by Ruth Borchard in the 1950s, the original collection holds 100 self-portraits by twentieth-century British and Irish artists, including works by Euan Uglow, Roger Hilton and Francis Newton Souza. Her interest in modern painting began at the age of thirteen, influenced by an enthusiastic teacher at school. In the 1950s she started out offering 10–15 guineas and then 21 guineas for artists to provide their self-portraits. Jean Cooke responded to the request saying "Dear Miss Borchard, I am not a feminist but to have only three women painters out of 91 makes rather poor odds so 21 gns it is. Are you going to come and pick up the painting?"