Ireland’s best portraits of 2023: National Gallery of Ireland announces Zurich prize shortlists

The National Gallery of Ireland has revealed the 46 artists shortlisted for this year’s Zurich portrait prizes.

The shortlist for the Zurich Portrait Prize, which aims to show “the breadth of contemporary Irish art”, includes 26 artists from across the island of Ireland, working across a variety of media including painting, sculpture and photography.

The winner of the prize will receive €15,000 in cash and commissioned to create a work for the national portrait collection, for which they will be awarded a further €5,000. There will also be two other awards of €1,500 for highly commended entries. The judges this year are artist Dorothy Cross, Dr Nicholas Cullinan of the National Portrait Gallery in London and Anne Stewart of the National Museums Northern Ireland.

Dublin artist David Booth was selected as the winner of last year’s prize for his painting Salvatore, 2021, after Salvatore of Lucan won the competition in 2021 for his painting Me Ma Healing Me.

Meanwhile, there were 20 young artists aged between four and 18 years old shortlisted for the Zurich Young Portrait Prize, which is now in its fifth year.

While all shortlisted entries for the Zurich Young Portrait Prize will be professionally framed/prepared, five winners will receive a bespoke art box and cash prize. The overall competition winner will be awarded a personalised wooden box of high-quality art materials and a cash prize of €500. This year’s judges are Jessica O’Donnell of Hugh Lane Gallery, writer, broadcaster and producer Ola Majekodunmi and visual artist and curator Tom McLean.

“With the annual Zurich Portrait Prize and Zurich Young Portrait Prize, our aim is to showcase the work of Irish artists and encourage an interest in contemporary Irish portraiture,” Dr Caroline Campbell, director of the National Gallery of Ireland, said.

“Each year, the artists shortlisted demonstrate an incredible breadth of Irish artistic talent.”

Exhibitions of the shortlisted works in both competitions run at the National Gallery of Ireland from December 2nd, 2023, until March 10th, 2024.

Manou, by Adrian Wojtas (Meath/Dublin), shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize 2023 at the National Gallery of Ireland

Shota, by Mantas Poderys (Donegal), shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize 2023 at the National Gallery of Ireland

Annie Murphy, former lover of Bishop Eamonn Casey, mother of Peter Casey, at her home in California, by Paul MacCormaic (Dublin), shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize 2023 at the National Gallery of Ireland

Ann and Ollie on Main Street, Wexford, by David Stephenson (Wicklow), shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize 2023 at the National Gallery of Ireland

(Sea)Urchin, by Ana Colomer (Clare), shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize 2023 at the National Gallery of Ireland

Reach for Me, by Maya Ryan (Sligo), shortlisted for the Zurich Young Portrait Prize 2023 at the National Gallery of Ireland

Ravens’ Reflection, by Ross McHale (Kildare), shortlisted for the Zurich Young Portrait Prize 2023 at the National Gallery of Ireland

Portrait of my Baby Brother, by Gianna Fitzgibbon (Kerry), shortlisted for the Zurich Young Portrait Prize 2023 at the National Gallery of Ireland

Travel With Optimism, by Estella Morrissey (Dublin), shortlisted for the Zurich Young Portrait Prize 2023 at the National Gallery of Ireland

Parenthood, by Zihan He (Dublin), shortlisted for the Zurich Young Portrait Prize 2023 at the National Gallery of Ireland