Marcel Vidal awarded The Hennessy Craig Award, 2019

Abigail O'Brien, President of the RHA, was delighted to announce artist, Marcel Vidal as the recipient of The Hennessy Craig Award 2019 at the RHA Gallery on the evening of the 9th October, 2019.
This generous prize, the largest painting prize in Ireland, awards €20,000 to a painter under the age of 35, who has exhibited in the open submission section of the RHA Annual exhibition and who has studied at a recognised art college in Ireland, as per the terms of the bequest of the estate of Patrick Hennessy and Henry Robertson Craig.
Patrick T. Murphy, RHA Director comments, "The Hennessy Craig Award is an artist prize given by artists (Patrick Hennessy and Henry Roberstson Craig) to artists as they truly understood the freedom that such a significant prize could offer an artist and they left the bequest to the Academy to insure that this would perpetuate into the future."
The adjudicating panel viewed works by 10 shortlisted artists including: Gerry Davies, Stephanie Deady, Leah Hewson, Eve O'Callaghan, Megan Burns, Salvatore of Lucan, William O'Neill, Kurt Oppermann and Kathy Tynan, which are currently on exhibit at the RHA gallery.
Each artist was invited to exhibit up to four new works and although considerate of the work submitted, the award was made based on the overall practice of the artist. This exhibition offers an unparalleled opportunity to view and for the discernible collector a chance to purchase, the very best work by some of Ireland’s most exciting young painters working today.
Showing at the RHA until Sunday 20th October.
 
For more information on the artist, see: www.marcelvidal.net