XL Catlin launches US Edition of renowned UK student art competition: the XL CATLIN ART PRIZE

NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- XL Catlin and the New York Academy of Art today announced the launch of the US edition of the XL Catlin Art Prize. With exhibitions in San Francisco, Chicago and New York, and a jury including major artists and curators, the XL Catlin Art Prize will be one of the premier student art competitions in the nation.

Developed in partnership with the New York Academy of Art, the XL Catlin Art Prize is open to figurative paintings, drawings and prints created by undergraduate and graduate art students. With a First Prize of $10,000, the competition will focus on the reemergence of figurative art in the contemporary art world.

According to Jennifer Schipf, Senior Vice President for Fine Art & Specie insurance at XL Catlin, "After ten years of running the program in the United Kingdom, we are delighted to launch the Prize in the United States. The Prize gives us the perfect platform to highlight new artists and provides a unique insight into emerging talent across the country."

The competition is structured around three rounds of jurying:

• Regional Jury: Faculty members from the Prize's Strategic Advisory Board will select from submissions in five regions (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South, West and Midwest). The Strategic Advisory Board consists of 22 major art schools across the US, including Yale School of Art, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Columbia University School of Arts, California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Pratt Institute and Bard College (complete list attached.)
• Exhibition Jury: Carrie Rebora Barratt, Deputy Director for Collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Jennie Goldstein, Assistant Curator at the Whitney Museum, Laura Hoptman, Curator at the Museum of Modern Art, and Kara Vander Weg, Director at Gagosian Gallery will choose 40 artworks from the regional selections. These 40 pieces will tour in the fall of 2018, exhibiting at the San Francisco Art Institute (August 20 ? October 7), Linda Warren Projects in Chicago (November 3 ? 8) and the New York Academy of Art (November 21 - 29). The exhibition will be accompanied by an illustrated catalogue.
• Prize Jury: Consisting of renowned painters Nicole Eisenman, Eric Fischl and Amy Sherald, the Prize Jury will choose the first and second prize winners when the touring exhibition arrives in New York. First prize is $10,000 and second prize is $3,500. An Audience Award of $1,500 will be awarded via social media. 

Applicants must be enrolled in a US graduate or undergraduate art program. Submissions officially open December 12, 2017. The deadline for all submissions is 11:00PM EST on February 15, 2018. For more information on eligibility and the submissions process visit xlcatlinartprize.com.

About XL Catlin

XL Catlin is the global brand used by XL Group Ltd's (NYSE:XL) insurance and reinsurance companies which provide property, casualty, professional and specialty products to industrial, commercial and professional firms, insurance companies and other enterprises throughout the world.  Clients look to XL Catlin for answers to their most complex risks and to help move their world forward. To learn more, visit xlcatlin.com.

About The New York Academy of Art

Founded in 1982 by artists, scholars and patrons of the arts, including Andy Warhol, the New York Academy of Art is a not-for-profit education and cultural institution which combines intensive technical training in drawing, painting and sculpture with active critical discourse. Academy students are taught traditional methods and techniques and encouraged to use these skills to make vital contemporary art. Through major exhibitions, a lively speaker series, and an ambitious educational program, the Academy serves as a creative and intellectual center for all artists dedicated to highly skilled, conceptually aware figurative and representational art.

XL Catlin, the XL Catlin logo and Make Your World Go are trademarks of XL Group Ltd companies. XL Catlin is the global brand used by XL Group Ltd's (re)insurance subsidiaries.

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SOURCE XL Catlin; The New York Academy of Art