British Academy wins BP Portrait Award

Six Presidents of the Academy - Stuart Pearson WrightA portrait commissioned by the British Academy won the BP Portrait Award 2001 at a ceremony at the National Portrait Gallery last night (Tuesday 19 June). The artist Stuart Pearson Wright won £25,000 for The Six Presidents of the British Academy. The picture was commissioned with the private funds of the Academy as part of its 2002 centenary celebrations.

25-year-old Stuart Pearson Wright studied at the Slade School of Art and has already undertaken commissions including Kathy Burke, Mike Leigh and Richard E Grant. He has entered the BP Award several times, winning the Travel Award in 1998. His winning portrait shows the six living presidents of the British Academy: Professor Owen Chadwick, Sir Kenneth Dover, Sir Anthony Kenny, Lord Quirk, Sir Keith Thomas and Sir Tony Wrigley.

'We were attracted by Stuart Pearson Wright's talents evident in his BP Award Exhibition in 1998.' said Professor Margaret McGowan, the chairman of the pictures committee at the British Academy. 'The portrait he has done for us is a wonderful example of his skills of group organisation and in giving lifelike, accurate images of his sitters, with a touch of humour.'

The sitters are:

Professor Owen Chadwick OM, KBE, Ecclesiastical historian
President of the British Academy from 1981 to 85

Professor Chadwick was Dixie Professor of Ecclesiatical History in the University of Cambridge (1958-68) and Regius Professor of Modern History (1968-83). He served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge (1969-71) and Chancellor of the University of East Anglia (1985-94). Author of The Victorian Church (1966, 1971) and A History of Christianity (1995).

Sir Kenneth Dover, Classicist
President of the British Academy from 1978 to 1981

Sir Kenneth is currently Chancellor of the University of St Andrews where he was Professor of Greek from 1955 to 1976. He was President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, from 1976 to 1986. Sir Kenneth oversaw The Greeks, a successful BBC television series and book in 1980. He has edited Greek texts, notably Aristophanes, and written commentaries on Thucydides. Author of Greek Homosexuality.

Sir Anthony Kenny, Philosopher
President of the British Academy from 1989 to 1993

Sir Anthony was Master of Balliol College, Oxford from 1978 to 1989, and Warden of Rhodes House from 1989 to 1999. Author of Action, Emotion and Will (1963) and editor of The Oxford Illustrated History of Western Philosophy (1994)

Lord Quirk , Linguist
President of the British Academy from 1985 to 1989

Lord Quirk was Quain Professor of English Language and Literature, University College London (1968-81) where he was also Director of the Survey of English Usage from 1959 to 1983. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of London from 1981 to 1985. He sits as a Cross-Bench Peer in the House of Lords and is a member of the Science and Technology Select Committee. Author of A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (1985).

Sir Keith Thomas, Historian
President of the British Academy from 1993 to 1997

Sir Keith was Reader in Modern History (1978-85) and then Professor (1986) at Oxford, where he was President of Corpus Christi College from 1986 to 2000. Author of Religion and the Decline of Magic (1971) and Man and the Natural World (1983).

Sir Tony Wrigley, Historical demographer, geographer, economic historian
President of the British Academy from 1997 to 2001

Sir Tony was one of the founders of the Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure, and was its Co-Director from 1974 to 1979. He has held academic appointments in Cambridge, the LSE and Oxford. He was latterly Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Co-author of The Population History of England (1981).

NOTES TO EDITORS

Published:

20 June 2001

  1. The Portrait Award, now in its 21st year at the National Portrait Gallery, is an annual event aimed at encouraging young artists to focus upon, and develop, the theme of portraiture within their work. This year the first prize was raised by BP from £10,000 to £25,000. There were over 600 entries of which 57 have been selected for display.
  2. The BP Portrait judging panel are: Andrew Graham Dixon (Critic); Nicola Hicks (Artist); Jock McFadyen (Artist); Victoria Russell (Winner of BP Portrait Award 2000); Julia Somerville (Broadcaster;) Dr Chris Gibson Smith (Director, Policies and Technology, BP); Dr Charles Saumarez Smith (Director, National Portrait Gallery).
  3. The picture was commissioned by the British Academy Pictures Committee that was set up to oversee how its private funds should be best spent on decorating the Academy's premises. One of the Committees priorities was to encourage young talented artists.
  4. The British Academy, established by Royal Charter in 1902, is an independent learned society promoting the humanities and social sciences. It is composed of Fellows elected in recognition of their distinction as scholars in the humanities and social sciences. The Academy represents and promotes the interests of learning and research nationally and internationally. It also acts as a grant-giving body, sponsoring its own research projects and facilitating the work of others.
  5. For information on the BP Prize: Hazel Sutherland, National Portrait Gallery, Tel: 020 7312 2452, Fax: 020 7306 0058, Email: hsutherland@npg.org.uk

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