BP肖像奖是英国一个很有威望的奖项，本届的得主将获得25000英镑的奖金，这次的得奖候选名单分别为4位来自欧洲各个地方的参赛者，他们分别为Johan Andersson, Paul Emsley, David Lawton and Hynek Martinec。他们的作品目前在伦敦的国家肖像美术馆内展出，同时展出的还有其他的60为参赛者。

(1)冠军作品：保罗•埃姆斯利(Paul Emsley)的布面油画《迈克尔•辛普森》(Michael Simpson)
(2)亚军作品：大卫•罗顿(David Lawton)的布板油画《史蒂文》(Stephen)

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作者：Johan Andersson

Tamara (oil on canvas, 1000 x 734mm), by the first of four shortlisted artists Johan Andersson, currently studying fine art at Central St Martin’s Art and Design College, London. His work was exhibited as part of the Direction 2007 Group show at London’s Lethaby Gallery. This portrait is of his 21-year-old friend Tamara, the shyness of whose demeanour adds a silent tension to the work. "This insecurity of posing nude is evident in the awkwardness of the pose," Andersson says.

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作者：Hynek Martinec

Zuzana in Paris Studio (acrylic on wooden board, 1300 x 1100mm), by the second shortlisted artist Hynek Martinec. Martinec was born in Broumov, Czech Republic, but currently works as a freelance painter in Prague, London and Paris. This large portrait depicts the artist's girlfriend Zuzana Jungmanova, captured in startling close-up.

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（冠军）作者：Paul Emsley

Michael Simpson (oil on canvas, 1370 x 1120 mm), by Paul Emsley, the third name on the shortlist. Elmsley has exhibited widely and won several prizes. His portrait is a large close-up of 67-year-old artist Michael Simpson. “I find his face and head visually interesting and with a strong presence,” Emsley says. “I feel it is essentially European, particularly carrying something of the history of Eastern Europe.”

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（亚军）作者： David Lawton

Stephen (oil on canvas panel, 270 x 200mm), by the fourth artist on the shortlist David Lawton. Lawton is a night support worker for the charity Turning Point. His last entry for the BP Portrait Award, in 2000, featured exactly the same model as this image - the artist's friend Stephen Player, a San Francisco illustrator. While the last portrait of him was a nude study, this one is a dramatic mugshot-style image.

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作者：Ahrens

Lynn Ahrens’ Time to Talk (oil on canvas, 720 x 590mm). Ahrens was born in Glasgow and lives in Edinburgh. Her work has been exhibited in numerous group exhibitions in Scotland and England

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作者：Ana Maria Micu

Ana Maria Micu’s Self-portrait (oil on canvas, 500 x 500 mm). Ana Maria Micu was born in Romania, and is based in Bucharest. She completed her MA in Painting at the University of Art and Design of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Her work has been exhibited in a solo show at the Aniad Art Gallery, Bucharest, in 2006, and in numerous group exhibitions. This is the second year that her work has been exhibited in the BP Portrait Award exhibition.

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作者： Rupert Alexander

Rupert Alexander’s portrait of Christopher Darroux-Xavier (oil on canvas, 600 x 440mm). Rupert Alexander is based in Middlesex and trained at the Florence Academy of Art. His work has been exhibited in a solo exhibition at Quadrant House, London in 2005 and in several group shows. The portrait of Christopher Darroux-Xavier was painted exclusively from life.

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作者：Jaime Valero Perandones

Oil on board
Trained in Madrid, Jaime Valero Perandones won First Prize in the XVIII BMW Painting Competition, Madrid, 2003 and was a finalist in the show in 2001. He has had solo shows in Spain and New Mexico and has taken part in group shows in Spain and the USA. The sitter is the artist’s wife, Chrisa Sampanes. The work was originally planned to be simply a sketch, however Valero Perandones was so pleased with the result that he decided to develop the work into this painting.

转自：Birtist Council China  驻中国英国文化协会官方网站

西方绘画史中的大师级人物多与肖像画有缘。而英国，这个曾经拥有凡代克(Anthony Van Dyck)、雷诺兹(Joshua Reynolds)、庚兹博罗(Thomas Gainsborough)等无数肖像画巨匠的国度，并不满足于传统文脉的绘画创造，始终致力于当代肖像画的创新和发展，英国石油公司肖像画奖(简称BP肖像画奖，British Petroleum Portrait Award)便是特为鼓励肖像画的创作而设、且渐已成为世界上最具声誉的肖像类绘画竞赛。

本年度的BP肖像画奖入选作品(BP Portrait Award)因循由国立肖像美术馆(National Portrait Gallery，简称NPG)举办，并继续得到英国石油公司(British Petroleum)的赞助。唯一不同的是，本届竞赛的参选资格自1988年创办以来首次打破惯例——允许40岁以上的艺术家参赛 (往届申请人的资格须为18岁至40岁)，这恐怕也是报名作品的数量较2006年增长了70%的重要原因，约1810件提交作品最终铩羽而归，只留下60件画作享受进驻展厅的殊荣。

入选作品中有观众所熟悉的英格兰哲学家AC•格雷灵(AC Grayling)和已故的苏格兰诗人和景观艺术家伊恩•汉密尔顿•芬利(Ian Hamilton Finlay)的肖像，更多的则是名不见经传的“小人物”。那一张张雕刻在画布上的脸，有艺术家的朋友和家人；也有被偶然捕捉下来的通勤者、陌生人；而最常见的题材——“自画像”——当然也在其中，只是画面处理抛开了惯有的“正襟危坐”，就像宝拉•威尔森(Paula Wilson)在自画像里将两个她置于画中，看似孪生姐妹，而其实是“成熟的自己在安慰年轻的自己”，观之有趣，思之在理。

究竟谁能在这60件作品中脱颖而出？6月20日，社会活动家碧昂卡•贾格尔(Bianca Jagger)在国立肖像美术馆(NPG)内将谜底揭晓——今年的“肖像”天下全部被男性艺术家占领：他们是以木板丙烯作品《Zuzana在巴黎工作室》(Zuzana in Paris Studio)获得新人奖(Young Artist Award)的海尼克•玛汀内克(Hynek Martinec)、以布面油画《塔玛拉》(Tamara)获得季军的约那•安德森(Johan Andersson)——二者分别以女性肖像和裸像为题材；获得亚军的是大卫•罗顿(David Lawton)，作品是布板油画《史蒂文》(Stephen)；最终拔得头筹并赢得25000英镑奖金是59岁的艺术家保罗•埃姆斯利(Paul Emsley)，其作品为布面油画《迈克尔•辛普森》(Michael Simpson)，该作已被国立肖像美术馆(NPG)收藏。

获奖对于保罗•埃姆斯利(Paul Emsley)来说并不陌生。此前他曾在2005年《艺术伦敦》(Art London 2005)活动中得到过纸上作品的银奖(Silver Award for Works on Paper)，2002年辛格&弗里德兰德周日泰晤士报水彩画展(Singer & Friedlander Sunday Times Watercolour Exhibition)的冠军、2001年和2003年同奖项的季军。

画中人迈克尔•辛普森 (Michael Simpson)也是一名艺术家，今年67岁，两人居住在布拉德福(Bradford)。保罗经常会不经意地碰到迈克尔，每一次都会被迈克尔的形象所吸引，“我发现他面部的视觉观感十分有趣，有很强的存在感”，保罗•埃姆斯利(Paul Emsley)说，“我觉得他的样子非常‘欧洲’，好像是承载着东欧史一样”。在画完一系列速写之后，保罗终于将迈克尔的形象搬上长137cm宽112的画布，这幅具有强烈明暗对比同时又令观众倍感亲切的作品，耗时五个星期，并终于得到评审团和普通观众的青睐。

2007年度BP肖像画展无论从作品的数量还是质量上，无论从专业人士还是爱好者的反馈上，无论从“写真”还是“传神”的绘画表现上，都无一例外地获得了成功， “传统的继承和发扬”这个永远让人头疼的问题，似乎在这里得到了某种释放。

展览时间：2007年6月14日–2007年9月16日
(宋立供稿)

顶！