Press Releases

Peter Corbett has today been named as the North West winner of the Lexmark European Art Prize 2004, Europe’s only pan-European painting prize.

Peter, who studied at both Liverpool and Manchester Schools of Art, has been a practising artist for over 25 years. His paintings draw on experience of meditation and his interest in philosophical ideas, which can be applied to abstraction.

“It’s great to have your work recognised like this. I was pleased that I had made the UK shortlist and this award is a real bonus. Let’s hope I can use it as a springboard for next year’s competition.”

Peter’s painting’ ‘The World of the Fifth Sun’ is an example of a technique that Peter first started using in 1987, called ‘double edging’. This technique involves loading opposite edges of the paintbrush with two different colours. The resulting painted line shows the distinct colours at the edge, and a blend of the two through the centre. This effect gives the body of work a distinctive and coherent feel.

The UK panel of judges included 2003’s overall winner and Saatchi favourite, Christian Ward, from London. The European panel have now selected 10 finalists from over 4,000 entries across Europe.  The short-listed works feature paintings from Italy, Germany, Poland, France, Russia and the UK.

Meredith Etherington-Smith Chairman of Art Fortnight, and member of the judging panel is delighted that the prize is demonstrating a clear revival in painting: “If the last decade of the 20th Century was noted for developments in conceptual art, the first years of the 21st Century have seen a strong revival in the ancient art of painting.  It has been a challenge and a privilege to be involved in judging a prize that is solely dedicated to painting, and recognising emerging talent in this field.”

The 2004 Prize has seen hundreds of entries drawn from around the UK, not just from professional artists but amateurs including a biology student, a spiritualist and a support worker for people with learning disabilities.

Giovanni Giusti, Managing Director, Lexmark UK said:  “This is a great opportunity for emerging artists to be recognised. In a time when art takes in so many different mediums, it’s fantastic to be involved in a prize solely supporting painting and offering new opportunities to the artists of tomorrow.”

The announcement of the overall winner will be made on 7th October from Milan.

About the Lexmark European Art Prize
The Lexmark European Art Prize is the first ever painting prize to be launched on an annual pan-European basis.  The competition extends Lexmark’s significant investment in the arts which includes the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the French Réunion des Musées Nationaux and Lexmark’s Art Education Programme which introduced fine art to over 600 schools in the US.

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