21 Prestegious painting prize at LJMU

Details from the paintings: TOP LEFT: The Neanderthal Futures Infirmary by Robbie Bush. ABOVE: The Common by Kathryn Maple. LEFT: The Motherland by Steph Goodger. BELOW LEFT: March by Stephen Lee (all photos © respective artists)

BELOW: The works on display in the Walker Art Gallery can be viewed on a virtual tour © Robin Clewley

Shortlisted artists, from left: Kathryn Maple, Steph Goodger, Stephen Lee and Michele Fletcher. BELOW: Robbie Bush

Eyes on the prize as top art line-up announced

By DAVID DIANGIENDA

The five nominees for one of the UK’s most prestigious painting prizes have been announced.

The John Moores Painting Prize is taking place this year as part of Liverpool Biennial 2021, the largest festival of contemporary art in the UK.

Whilst lockdown has caused people to stay in-doors unable to visit art museums, the competition offers established painters the chance to have their work showcased.

The five shortlisted artists, each awarded £2,500, are Liverpool-born Robbie Bushe, Michele Fletcher, Steph Goodger, Stephen Lee and Kathryn Maple.

Robbie, who attended Edinburgh College of Art, was shortlisted for his work The Neanderthal Futures Infirmary, one of a series of four paintings which imagines an old Victorian hospital with a Neanderthal DNA extraction and cloning facility within a complex network of underground bunkers.

The winner, who will receive the £25,000 prize, will be announced on March 4, when the inaugural winner of the Emerging Artist Prize will also be announced. The winning painting will be acquired by the Walker Art Gallery and join its world-class collection, while the artist will also have a future solo display at the gallery.

Virtual visitors to the exhibition will also be invited to vote for their favourite painting in the Visitors’ Choice Award, which awards the winning artist £2,020.

The shortlisted projects will be exhibited alongside the 62 other paintings at the gallery until June 27. . A virtual tour of the exhibition is at www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/johnmoores until the gallery can open.

The jury of Hurvin Anderson, Michelle Williams Gamaker, Alison Goldfrapp, Jennifer Higgie and Gu Wenda, judged and selected all of the works online because of Covid restrictions – it is the first time this has ever happened.

Previous winners of the prestigious prize include David Hockney in 1967, Peter Doig in 1993 and Jacqui Hallum in 2018. Sir Peter Blake, winner of the junior prize in 1961 and designer of the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper album sleeve, is patron of the Prize.

• For more information visit the Liverpool Museums website on www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ johnmoores. You can also follow the prize on social media @JMPaintingPrize on Twitter or follow John Moores Painting Prize on Facebook.