ModPortrait is the prestigious international portrait competition that takes place in European Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona.
I like to compete in tough international contests. However, in the period of submission to ModPortrait I was busy with moving studio and didn’t have the opportunity to complete a larger piece. I sent a painting I was happy with, but it was small. After having a look on other submissions, I thought it had a slim chance of getting attention amidst all the large, technically impressive works.
And then I received this coveted email with congratulations on winning the 1st Painting Prize. It took me some time to realise that at that moment, my humble ‘Against Straight Lines’ was chosen to become the best portrait of the year!
I couldn’t wait to travel to Barcelona to receive the award- and my 15 minutes of fame. Unfortunately, the outbreak of pandemic has cancelled the plans for most people in the world.
Fortunately, the director of MEAM Josè Manuel Infiesta and director of ModPortrait Josè Enrique Gonzalez decided that it was unfair that the artists should be robbed of their awards ceremony. They moved the event to the following 2020, to be shared with the award winners for that year. Unfortunately, therefore I didn’t get the big banner with my painting on the museum’s facade.
However, I did get something better. Usually, when you win the competition, you just informed of the jury’s decision. You never get to hear the details of what their choice was based on.
Perhaps as a silver lining for the lack of banner, the director Jose Manuel Infiesta decided to make an exception. He took me aside and asked whether I would like to hear what the jury said about my work.
The words came from the nestor of realistic painting Antonio Garcia López, an artist whose work I always admired. He has been described by the famous art critic Robert Huges as ‘the greatest realist artist alive". He said:
“This painting should win. It has the high technical skill, bold use of colour, and focus on what is important today. It’s what a contemporary portrait should look like.”
