16.08.2006
The first national open art exhibition for artists over 50 launched in association with the University of Brighton and Brighton and Hove Arts Commission announced London-based artist, Chris Stevens, as the overall winner.
The competition, called 50 over 50, celebrates the best contemporary visual art by older British artists. At the opening of the exhibition at the university gallery, Sir Christopher Frayling, Chair of Arts Council England and Rector of the Royal College of Art, presented the £5,000 prize to Chris for his painting Versace.
Chris, a 50 year old painter, has a studio in Hackney, London. Although he has always painted people, he says he does not consider himself a portrait painter. He knows all of the people in his paintings personally and is concerned with what he terms a 'visual narrative' rather than an accurate depiction of the individual.
Versace by Chris Stevens
Versace depicts a graphic design student, whom Chris has painted several times. The work shows a formidable lone figure, a young black man, against what we assume to be a wall. He is wearing a Versace style top, from which the title of the work is taken, and the initials NF are seemingly daubed on the wall next to the figure.
The painting challenges us to consider the pose of the young man, to wonder whether he is here through isolation or independence, through exclusion or defiance. The artist uses the symbols of clothing and graffiti to question whether these are associations we might give the figure even if they weren't there. By questioning these we put ourselves in the place of the figure and consider how we might be perceived by others.
The judging panel members selected Chris's work for the 50 over 50 prize because they considered:
- the painting demonstrates an accomplished approach to painting on canvas
- the work confronts negative images and confounds expectations
- the subject matter and imagery is of our time but talks as successfully about the images and perceived associations of the lone black man
The 50 over 50 competition received in excess of 1,800 entries from all over the UK. Professor Bruce Brown, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Architecture, said: "The exhibition has shown the amount of interest in works by older artists." He said: "There are great artists who had their great periods later in life such as Matisse, but a lot of big competitions such as the Turner prize only accept artists below 50. This is an opportunity for artists over that age to display their work."
The exhibition continues until Thursday 31 August 2006 at the University of Brighton Gallery, Grand Parade, Brighton.
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