For immediate release, Thursday 24 July 2008

UK’s Largest Contemporary Painting Prize Announces Shortlist Today

The 25th John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize showcases the best of the UK’s current and future painting talent

The shortlist for the John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize – the UK’s largest contemporary painting competition with a first prize of £25,000 and total fund of over £35,000 - is announced today.

The forty shortlisted entries demonstrate that far from being ‘old-fashioned’, an artist’s decision to paint is exciting and challenging. The paintings have absorbed the legacy of conceptual art and incorporated it into the work; they are not in opposition to it. The works, selected from a record 3,222 submissions, represent the best of the UK’s current and future painting talent. Over the last 50 years, this biennial competition has given prominence to artists including David Hockney and Richard Hamilton, who went on to find fame and acclaim after winning the prize, and Peter Doig, who described winning the John Moores in 1993 as a pivotal moment in his career.

Reyahn King, Director of Galleries at the Walker Art Gallery comments:

“The John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize this year provides an up to the minute report on painting today. The record number of entries demonstrates the excitement and importance of the John Moores as Britain’s pre-eminent painting prize. The judges sought to select works that most reflect contemporary practice, and the resulting selection makes clear that far from being old fashioned, an artist’s decision to paint is exciting and challenging.”

Graham Crowley, artist and juror on the John Moores 25 judging panel adds:

“There’s no art for airports or corporate foyers in this show. There is a great range in subject matter and context, and an urgency to the exhibition that I hadn’t anticipated.”

This year’s impressive selection ranges from portraiture, landscape and still lives to abstracts. The subject matter draws inspiration from the animal kingdom (Oportuno III by Georgia Hayes) to childhood experiences (The Baptism by Neil Rumming, who once witnessed a horrendous car crash and Nought Lovely but the Sky and Stars by Kit Poulson, who found what he thought was a UFO as a child). Woman Surprised by a Werewolf by Stuart Pearson Wright is inspired by the film An American Werewolf in London, whilst Cadet Congo Ganja by Tim Bailey draws from both Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now. The shortlist includes previous John Moores exhibitors and first time entrants.

Now in its 50th year, this year’s biennial prize has seen the highest ever number of submissions, reflecting the continued interest in painting and the John Moores’ position as Britain’s most important painting prize.

The judges for John Moores 25 are artists Jake & Dinos Chapman, art critic Sacha Craddock, and artists Graham Crowley and Paul Morrison, both former John Moores Prize winners. Almost 100 people have sat on the judging panel over the years, including Jarvis Cocker, Germaine Greer, Sir Peter Blake and Tracey Emin.

All shortlisted entries will be shown in a major exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool from 20 September 2008 to 4 January 2009. The winner of the 25th John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize will be unveiled on September 20. The first prize is £25,000 with plus four runner up prizes of £2,500.

In celebration of Liverpool’s year as Capital of Culture, this year’s popular visitors’ choice prize will be increased to £2008.

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/johnmoores

Ends

For further information please contact:

Jane Opoku or Elise Oliver, Colman Getty

Tel: 020 7631 2666 Fax: 020 7631 2699

Email: janeopoku@colmangetty.co.uk or elise@colmangetty.co.uk

Notes for Editors

John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize at the Walker Art Gallery runs from 20 September 2008 to 4 January 2009

The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue.
The full list of 2008’s shortlisted artists is:
1. Georgina Amos – No Place

2. Tim Bailey – Cadet Congo Ganja

3. Richard Baines – Mickey’s Trailer

4. Christopher Barrett – Pirosmani in Tbilisi

5. David Bowe – Obst & Gemuse

6. Julian Brain – Special Relativity

7. Tom Bull – Black Flag

8. Louisa Chambers – Mechanical Coat

9. Clare Chapman – Still Life, No. 2

10. Jake Clark – Cornerways

11. Sam Dargan – Middle Management Meltdown

12. Geraint Evans – An Ornamental Hermit

13. Damien Flood – Uncharted (Island II)

14. Grant Foster – Hero Worship

15. Jaime Gili – A132 (AKIKO)

16. Gabriel Hartley – Dog

17. Georgia Hayes – Oportuno 111

18. Gerard Hemsworth – Frightened Rabbit

19. Roland Hicks – Sometimes We Sense the Doubt Together

20. Ian Homerston – Four

21. Neal Jones – Bruegel Camp

22. Stephanie Kingston – 252 Solitude

23. Richard Kirwan – As Above, So Below

24. Mie Olise Kjærgaard – Watchtower with Green Stick

25. Matthew Usmar Lauder – Untitled (Hole)

26. Geoff Diego Litherland - My Flag is Better than Yours

27. Marta Marcé – Flowing 2

28. Peter McDonald - Fontana

29. Michelle McKeown – C**t

30. Eleanor Moreton – Prince (titled)

31. Alex Gene Morrison – Black Bile

32. Kit Poulson – Nought Lovely but the Sky and Stars

33. Sista Pratesi – Black Farm II

34. Ged Quinn – There’s a House in My Ghost

35. Neil Rumming – The Baptism

36. Robert Rush – The Dream

37. Michael Stubbs – Virus Maximizer

38. Matthew Wood – S-CAT LRAB1

39. Stuart Pearson Wright – Woman Surprised by a Werewolf

40. Vicky Wright – Extraction 1

§ The John Moores was founded in 1957 by Littlewoods founder Sir John Moores (1896-1993), himself a keen painter. It is now one of the UK’s most established art prizes, with a rich and illustrious heritage. It continues to be supported in a partnership with the John Moores Liverpool Exhibition Trust.

§ The prize has been a key component of the Liverpool Biennial since 1999, and will be a major strand in the city’s 2008 European Capital of Culture celebrations.

§ Supported by A Foundation and official hotel partner, Radisson SAS Hotel, Liverpool. Visitors’ Choice Prize is supported by Rathbone Investment Management and Radisson SAS Hotel, Liverpool.

§ The exhibition is sponsored by Business2008, National Museums Liverpool’s corporate membership scheme, which provides the opportunity for businesses to gain an insight into the North-West’s leading cultural institution while giving direct support to cultural activity in Liverpool.

§ a-n magazine is the media sponsor for this year’s prize. Exposing the diversity and complexity of artists’ practice, a-n provides an inspiring critical space to research, analyse and debate contexts for practice now and in the future.

§ The fifth edition of Liverpool Biennial (20 September – 30 November 2008) will be even more impressive in scale and ambition than its predecessors. Liverpool’s cumulative experience of curating exhibitions by commissioning ambitious and challenging new artworks by leading international artists for gallery and public spaces enables it to realise exhibitions of a scale and ambition not to be found elsewhere in the UK, and has made its Biennial an example to others worldwide and a magnet to art lovers and professionals. Visit http://www.biennial.com

§ Reyahn King, Director of Art Galleries at National Museums Liverpool is available for interview via Colman Getty

§ Judges may be available for interview via Colman Getty

§ Images available on request from Colman Getty

§ National Museums Liverpool is the only group of national museums in England based entirely outside London. The group includes art galleries holding world famous collections - the Walker Art Gallery, the Lady Lever Art Gallery and Sudley House. In addition, we look after three museums - World Museum Liverpool, Merseyside Maritime Museum and the new Museum of Liverpool plus a venue that houses our conservation department, the National Conservation Centre.

Walker Art Gallery William Brown Street, Liverpool Admission FREE

Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm Information 0151 478 4199