Cape Town artist John Pace has won the 2015 Sanlam Portrait Award for his portrait entitled After the Match.
The award, which aims to celebrate and showcase the best original portrait artwork in South Africa, was announced at a ceremony at the Rust-en-Vrede Art Gallery in Durbanville on August 27. The Sanlam Portrait Award is sponsored by Sanlam Private Wealth, in partnership with the Rust-en-Vrede Art Gallery.

Pace’s winning portrait beat 809 adjudicated entries to the top prize of R100 000. It will join 39 other selected entries in an exhibition to be held at Rust-en-Vrede Gallery until October 8, after which the 40 works will tour South Africa in an exhibition presented in collaboration with the Sanlam Art Collection.

Stefan Hundt, head of Sanlam’s art advisory service and convenor of the judging panel, commended the judges for compiling a splendid selection of artworks.

“With the quality of entries received this year it couldn’t have been an easy task to narrow it down to the top 40. We’re thankful for the time and effort they dedicated to determining the winner,” he added.

The independent panel consisted of Tanya Poole, award-winning artist and lecturer at Rhodes University, Craig Wylie, BP Portrait Award (UK) winner in 2008, from the United Kingdom and Ernestine White, curator for contemporary art at the Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town.

“The award-winning portrait by Pace is skilfully traditional yet fresh in its approach to a ubiquitous subject that often graces the television screen and newspaper sports pages,” says Hundt.

Pace (56) lives in Cape Town and has been in the advertising and design industry for the last 30 years. He’s been running his own design practice for the past ten years.

Pace lives by the motto “mediocrity is expensive” and enjoys painting and drawing in his spare time. He attended the Durban University of Technology from 1978 to 1981 where he completed one year in Fine Art and two years in graphic design. He graduated with a Diploma in Graphic Design.

“While South African art reflects our country’s social and political evolution, our clients’ passion and investment interest in art continues to grow. This is why we established the Sanlam Portrait Award in partnership with the Rust-en-Vrede art gallery. This competition gives top local artists the opportunity to get invaluable exposure. Investors also have the opportunity to buy the artwork that is on exhibit,” says Daniël Kriel, CEO of Sanlam Private Wealth.

KwaZulu-Natal artist Heather Gourlay-Conyngham walked off with the top prize for her nude male portrait entitled A Young Man in the first Sanlam Portrait Award, held in 2013. “Winning the 2013 title positively impacted my career as an artist,” said Gourlay-Conyngham, who lives in Hilton.

For more information please visit www.sanlamportraitaward.co.za or www.rust-en-vrede.com

Want to see the works of art up close and personal? Visit the countrywide exhibition.

The Top 40 portraits will tour to various museums and galleries throughout South Africa after the exhibition at the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery. At the same time, an additional 60 works will be exhibited at the Irma Stern Museum and the Casa Labia Gallery in Cape Town.

The overall winner of the 2015 Sanlam Portrait Award will be given the opportunity to return to Durbanville’s Rust-en-Vrede Gallery for a solo exhibition in July 2017.

Not an artist, but a lover of art? Enter the 2015 Sanlam Portrait Award Readers’ Choice competition. 

Launching at the end of August www.houseandleisure.co.za will feature the top 40 portraits, as selected by the judges, where readers will be able to vote for their favourite work of art. With one easy click of a button, you can cast your vote and in so doing stand the change to win R10 000 in cash for yourself as well as R10 000 for the artist of the winning portrait.

Entry details and winner announcement updates regarding the Readers’ Choice competition can be found on www.houseandleisure.co.za and the winner announcement will take place in September 2015.