The Columbia Threadneedle Prize, one of Europe’s leading competitions for figurative painting and sculpture, will celebrate 10 years when the 2018 exhibition opens at Mall Galleries, London on 31 January.

Winner of £20,000 First Prize will be announced at an Awards Reception on Tuesday 30 January 2018.

Visit the exhibition from Wednesday 31 January to Saturday 17 February, 2018, at Mall Galleries, The Mall (near Trafalgar Square) London SW1 London.

The 2018 Columbia Threadneedle Prize will continue to explore the relevance of Figurative Art Today and showcase important new works by emerging and established artists.

At £20,000, The Columbia Threadneedle Prize is one of the most valuable art prizes in Europe and the United Kingdom. In addition to the prize money, the 2018 winner will receive a solo exhibition in the Threadneedle Space at Mall Galleries. Five finalists will each receive a Prize of £1,000.

Chairman of the Selection Panel, Lewis McNaught said, “All the artists in this year’s Columbia Threadneedle Prize exhibition share a need to reflect the world around them, going beyond just representing physicality by interpreting social realities and personal experiences. A lot of what surrounds us and our perception of it is fragmented and abstract in a non-literal, visual sense. So, it is especially interesting to see where today’s reality and those artists’ seeking to represent this reality fall within the figurative art tradition.”

Alison Jefferis, Head of Corporate Affairs, Columbia Threadneedle Investments said: “Columbia Threadneedle Investments has supported the Prize since its inception and we are delighted to celebrate our 10-year partnership with Mall Galleries. We are proud to see the Columbia Threadneedle Prize now recognised as one of the leading art competitions in the country, impacting the careers of the winners and thousands of artists who have submitted works over a decade.”

More than 2,000 artists entered 4,118 works to this year’s exhibition. Over 100 works, comprising painting, sculpture, drawing and print, were selected by a panel of judges, chaired by Mall Galleries Director Lewis McNaught, the judges were:

• Jennifer McRae, award-winning portrait artist
• Helen Pheby, Senior Curator at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
• Pippa Stockdale, Managing Director at The Fine Art Society

This year, the exhibition will be divided into four subject categories: Portrait & Figure, Landscape & Nature, Still Life & Domestic and Urban & City Life.

Visitors to the exhibition are invited to vote for The Visitors’ Choice Award, a further prize worth £10,000 to the winning artist. The Visitors’ Choice Award winner will be announced at the end of the exhibition.

The Columbia Threadneedle Prize: Figurative Art Today

Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1

31 January to 17 February

10am to 5pm (closes 1pm on final day)

Admission Free

www.columbiathreadneedleprize.com

Previous winners of The Columbia Threadneedle Prize include:

• Nina Murdoch
• Shelia Wallis
• Patricia Cain
• Henrietta Simson
• Ben Greener
• Clare McCormack and Lisa Wright – Joint winners
• Tina Jenkins
• Lewis Hazelwood-Horner RBA

There are several talks and events taking place during the exhibition.

Where does the gallery model go from here?

Wednesday 7 February, 6:30pm to 8pm

Leading Industry figures discuss where the traditional gallery model goes from here, offering valuable advice for artists, art lovers and collectors.

Free, but book your place at www.mallgalleries.org.uk

In the Studio: Short Film Screening

Thursday 8 February, 2pm to 4pm

An afternoon of artists’ film screenings exploring the different notions of creative spaces.

Free, but book your place at www.mallgalleries.org.uk

Figurative Art Today: A panel discussion

Tuesday 13 February, 6pm to 8pm

Our panel discusses the ways in which contemporary artists chose to reflect the world around them.

Free, but book your place at www.mallgalleries.org.uk

Below is Kneeling Girl by Daniele Vezzani