The Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia (RASWA), the State’s oldest not-for-profit organisation, has launched a new art prize. The 2017 Perth Royal Art Prize, with a substantial pool of $23,500, invites regional and metropolitan artists WA artists to interpret the theme of landscape.
The Perth Royal Art Show was established in 1974 to promote WA artists and takes place annually in the Wilkinson Gallery during the Perth Royal Show. The Perth Royal Art Prize is a re-envisioning of the Perth Royal Art Show with a tighter focus that provides artists with excellent exposure and an excellent opportunity to sell their work.
“RASWA’s purpose is to promote and celebrate the land that we as West Australians share, and this prize is the ideal way to honour that while providing a theme that artists and the public will readily embrace”, said RASWA President Dr Rob Wilson. “Landscape is a popular subject for art and the public who come to the Perth Royal Show will readily embrace this theme.”
RASWA art curator Sandra Murray said all two-dimensional views of the landscape were eligible. “The Prize is for artworks that interpret the theme of landscape – real or imagined; rural or urban; of the country or the city,” said Murray. “I envision we will attract a high calibre of artists from across the State for this inaugural Perth Royal Art Prize. There are no other significant landscape art prizes in WA, allowing a marked distinction for our new prize.”
The winner will be announced on Monday 18 September. There will also be a Peoples Choice Award, as voted by the public, and two Highly Commended Prizes sponsored by IAS Fine Art Logistics.
RASWA will host an exhibition showcasing all the finalists’ artworks from 19 to 30 September 2017.
Entries close 4.30pm, Friday July 28.
