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Lexmark, the leading printer manufacturer, today revealed the European finalists of the Lexmark European Art Prize. Four of the 10 are from the United Kingdom and will automatically go forward for a chance to win the overall prize of 30,000 euros.
The 10 finalists come from five European countries including Germany, Italy, Poland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The UK finalists, Christian Ward, David Wightman, Rui Matsunaga and Fleur Patrick all studied at top London art schools before establishing themselves in the art world.
Since leaving college, David Wightman has been awarded Young Artist of the Year 2003 and been a runner up in the Hunting Prize. His work has most recently been exhibited at the Korean Ambassador's Residency in London.
Originally from Japan, Rui studied fine art in London. Her work has been shown all over the world from New York to Germany.
Christian Ward has enjoyed recent acclaim thanks to the purchase of some of his works by renowned art collector Charles Saatchi. Inspired by ancient Chinese art, Ward's work is alikened to psychedelic landscapes.
A student at De Montfort University, Fleur has developed her technique over the years, winning the Desmond Preston Drawing Award last year.
Artist Country
Giovanna Fezzi Italy
Christine Philipp Germany
Christian Ward UK
Klaus Blessing Germany
Marina Ruggiero Italy
David Wightman UK
Hugo Brulhart Switzerland
Fleur Patrick UK
Ewa Pelka Poland
Rui Matsunaga UK
Tough Challenge
The panel of judges faced tough decisions during the judging process to select the 10 finalists from over 2,000 entries from across Europe. Commenting, Chairman of the judges, Professor Brendan Neiland said, "We were astounded by both the volume and quality of the paintings that we viewed. It's been a rare treat for me to see such quality painting from across Europe. The ten finalists should all feel very proud to have made it this far in the competition. It's going to be difficult to choose between them to pick an overall winner."
Paul Kreutzer, Director, Consumer Printer Division, Lexmark said, "We received a staggering number of entries in our first year - we beat all our own expectations. It's fantastic to see that painting is clearly enjoying a renaissance in the UK and we're very proud to be represented in the European finals."
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 overall winner will be announced in the Autumn at a award ceremony in Paris where they will have the chance to take centre stage in the European art scene.
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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