Vanessa Maltese from Toronto Named Winner of the 14th Annual RBC Canadian Painting Competition
TORONTO, Nov. 30, 2012 /CNW/ – RBC and the Canadian Art Foundation,
today announced Vanessa Maltese from Toronto, Ontario as the national
winner of the 14th Annual RBC Canadian Painting Competition for her
work entitled Balaclava. Vanessa will receive a $25,000 purchase prize for her work.
In addition, two honourable mentions were given to Betino Assa from
Montreal, Quebec for his work Gathering in the forest 12 am and Katie Lyle from Vancouver, British Columbia for her work White Night. Betino and Katie were each awarded $15,000 for their work.
“Congratulations to this year’s winners as they are tremendous examples
of the kind of talent emerging from Canada’s arts scene,” said Robin
Anthony, curator, RBC. “Through this competition, we have helped launch
the careers of many of today’s successful visual artists and are
excited to continue to discover and promote promising new talent from
across the country.”
The paintings selected as the three finalists exemplified to the jury
the breath and scope of what painters can achieve in today in terms of
process, subject matter, aesthetic and temperament. The jury also
stated that Maltese’s winning painting demonstrated an assured
vocabulary that encompassed both hard-edged and gestural forms. Balaclava stood out in its ability to reconcile depth and surface, pattern and
illustration, material and subject, to create a dynamic, highly
resolved composition.
In addition, the winning paintings of 2012 will join previous winning
visual artists’ works as part of RBC’s corporate art collection, which
holds more than 4,000 works of art collected over the past century.
“Each year, we are impressed by the amazing talent within Canada and
faced with the difficult challenge of selecting our winners,” said Ann
Webb, executive director, Canadian Art Foundation and publisher,
Canadian Art magazine. “The competition enables us to play an integral
role in helping to develop and showcase the next generation of visual
artists as they build their practice. Congratulations to all our
finalists.”
Submissions were accepted from professional, practicing, visual Canadian
artists who are in the early stages (within first five years) of their
careers. More than 500 artists submitted works for this year’s
competition, from which 15 finalists were chosen from across the
country. The RBC Canadian Painting Competition was judged by some of
the most respected artists, gallery directors and curators in Canada.
For visuals and descriptions of the winning works, visit rbc.com/paintingcompetition.
All 15 finalists’ paintings will be on exhibit at the Power Plant from
November 29 to December 3, 2012 and will be featured in Canadian Art
magazine and on the web at rbc.com/paintingcompetition and canadianart.ca.
About the RBC Canadian Painting Competition
Established in 1999, the RBC Canadian Painting Competition is a tribute
to Canada’s artistic talent. The goal of the competition is to support
and nurture emerging Canadian visual artists by providing them with a
forum to display their artistic talent to the country and hopefully
open doors to future opportunity. An investment in Canadian culture and
the visual arts community, the competition will award one national
purchase prize of $25,000 and two honourable mentions will receive
$15,000 each. Along with past winners, the winning paintings of 2012
will become part of RBC’s Canadian art collection comprised of more
than 4,000 works of distinguished art collected over the past hundred
years. Various paintings from the RBC collection have been exhibited in
museums, enabling more Canadians to enjoy these wonderful works.
Details and rules of the competition may be found at rbc.com/paintingcompetition.
About the Canadian Art Foundation
Canadian Art Foundation is the ultimate portal for the exposure of
visual arts in Canada. All our efforts are dedicated to providing a
destination for artists and art enthusiasts to connect and be inspired
by art, in turn creating greater local, national and global visibility
for the extraordinary artistic talent in Canada. Our diverse platforms
and outreach include the publishing of Canadian Art and canadianart.ca, as well as the presentation of innovative events and educational
programs. For more information about the Canadian Art Foundation, visit
canadianart.ca/foundation.
SOURCE Canadian Art Foundation
Image with caption: “Vanessa Maltese, winner of the 2012 RBC Canadian Painting Competiton, and her work, Balaclava. (CNW Group/Canadian Art Foundation)”. Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20121130_C5005_PHOTO_EN_21394.jpg
