Two artists are going head to head for Britain’s most important portraiture prize with paintings of their sons and daughters.
John Devane, 58, a Royal College of Art graduate, was shortlisted for The Uncertain Time, a large group portrait of his three children, Lucy, 25, Laura, 20, and Louis, 15, painted over three years.
His rival for the BP Portrait Award is Susanne du Toit, also 58, of Crowthorne, Berkshire, for Pieter J, of her eldest son, Pieter, 35. This year, the shortlist has been cut from four names to two, from nearly 2,000 works submitted by artists from 70 countries.
A third prize winner has been dropped in favour of increasing the winner’s cheque to £30,000 from £25,000, along with a £5,000 commission. The runner-up will receive £10,000.
A new £7,000 prize has been introduced for BP Young Artist, for entrants aged between 18 and 30. More than 50 of the submissions will be on show in a free exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from June 20 to September 15.
The prize, which is in its 34th year, is always one of the gallery’s most popular shows and attracted almost 256,000 visitors in 2012.
For details, visit npg.org.uk
