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.

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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.

Zurich Portrait Prize 2023: The 26 shortlisted artists

• Gerry Blake (Wicklow), Courtney, living on a bus, 2021, photograph
• Jana Bulochova (Dublin), Infinite Self, 2021, photograph
• Leo Byrne (Dublin), Sheik Mikailu Bah, 2022, photograph
• Comhghall Casey (Tyrone/Dublin), Self Portrait, 2020, oil on board
• Ana Colomer (Clare), (sea)Urchin, 2023, acrylic on tondo canvas
• Shane Coughlan (Dublin), Patrick, back from the shops, 2023, photograph
• Jonathan Daczkowski (Dublin), Chloe McCarthy, 2023, photograph
• Aisling Dunne (Dublin), Before and After, 2023, photograph
• Kit French (Cork), Self – Portrait – Light Through the Window, 2022, oil on canvas
• Ellius Grace (Dublin), Sinéad O’Connor in Her Garden, 2021, photograph
• Vanessa Jones (Dublin), Wall (self-portrait), 2022, oil on linen
• Lynn Kennedy (Dublin), Orpen Minded, 2023, oil on canvas
• Marie Le Men (Dublin), Seán Hillen, 2023, watercolour on paper
• Sarah Liddane (Kerry), Waiting for inspiration, 2023, graphite and charcoal on paper
• Paul MacCormaic (Dublin), Annie Murphy, former lover of Bishop Eamonn Casey, Mother of Peter Casey, at her home in California, 2023, acrylic and oil on canvas
• Ryan O’Sullivan (Cork), Life’s a Drag, 2023, photograph
• Mantas Poderys (Donegal), Shota, 2021, pastel on cotton paper
• Katie Prior (Dublin), Self Portrait in Compact Mirror, 2023, oil on board
• Sorcha Frances Ryder (Dublin), Wide Awake, 2023, photograph
• David Sexton (Dublin), Jyellowl, 2021, photograph
• Darragh Shanahan (Dublin), Lara, 2022, pinhole photograph
• Marie Smith (Cavan), Armand, 2023, fired clay on wooden stand
• David Stephenson (Wicklow), Ann and Ollie, Main Street, Wexford, 2023, photograph
• Bob Tait (Dublin), Jim, 2023, photograph
• Lee Welch (Dublin), Jerry Saltz as Michelangelo “David”, 2023, acrylic on polyester
• Adrian Wojtas (Meath/Dublin), Manou, 2023, photograph

Zurich Young Portrait Prize 2023: The 20 shortlisted artists

• Elijah Coada (Sligo), Sharing Toys is Hard, collage, pencil & marker on paper
• Elise O’Reilly (Dublin), My Granny on a Thursday, markers & pencils on paper
• Isabel Brogan (Clare), Isabel and her technicoloured dream jumper, pencil, paint and paint pens on card
• Nadia Navikone (Clare/Tipperary), Colourful Nadia, paint on card
• Pierre Gaultier Swords (Cavan), My Brother Noah, water based crayons and acrylic paint on paper
• Adam Wiercioch Chinatamunnee (Cavan), My Father, collage, mixed media, gelli prints, marker, newspaper on paper
• Conor Mooney (Dublin), My Selfie, pencil and oil pastels on canvas
• Jasmine Jaiyeola (Meath), My Beautiful Mom, pencil & watercolour on paper
• Mary-Jane Brogan (Clare), Away with the Fairies, pencil, marker, pen & colouring pencil on paper
• Rebecca O’Donoghue (Cork), Sam Won’t Eat His Cornflakes, pencil & poster paint on paper
• Estella Morrissey (Dublin), Travel With Optimism, pencil on paper
• Gabby Kim (Dublin), My Sleeping Mother, acrylic paint & pencil on paper
• Maya Ryan (Sligo), Reach for me, pencil, charcoal, pen, book pages, paper bags & collage, cardboard on paper
• Ruaidhrí Condon (Dublin), Self Portrait, oil on canvas
• Zihan He (Dublin), Parenthood, oil, pastel, acrylic, gouache, collage on paper
• Robin Wolfe (Dublin), The mirror on my bedroom wall, gouache & oil pastel on canvas
• Ross McHale (Kildare), Ravens’ Reflection, oil on canvas & printed poem
• Solomon Doyle (Louth), Portrait of an Artist: A Reflection of His Ensuing Self, oil, acrylic & gold pen on canvas
• Gianna Fitzgibbon (Kerry), Portrait of my Baby Brother, oil on canvas
• Madia Rahman Kushi (Donegal), Reflections of Myself, acrylic on canvas