Two Kilkenny artists make shortlist for prestigious Zurich Portrait Prize

Two Kilkenny artists have been shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize

Whittled down from hundreds of entries are Bernadette Kiely for her oil painting which is a portrait of Paul Mosse in his studio; and Vera Klute for her oil painting Self-Portrait.

Vera Klute (Kilkenny), Self-Portrait, 2020, Oil on plywood

Bernadette Kiely (Kilkenny), An artist becomes their work – portrait of Paul Mosse in his studio, 2021, Oil on canvas

The winner of the Zurich Portrait Prize will receive a cash prize of €15,000 and will be commissioned to create a work for the national portrait collection, for which they will be awarded a further €5,000.

€1,500 each will be given to two other highly commended works.

Judges for the Zurich Portrait Prize are Diana Copperwhite, artist; Anna O’Sullivan, Director of the Butler Gallery, Kilkenny; and Nick Miller, artist.