The Outwin 2016: American Portraiture Today

March 12, 2016 - January 8, 2017
Second floor

The Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition invited artists from across the country to submit their best works in the art of portrayal. The dazzling variety of media and diverse approaches to the exploration of "self" and "other" challenge preconceived notions of portraiture and expand visitors’ imaginations. This competition and resulting exhibition "The Outwin  2016: American Portraiture Today" will showcase excellence and innovation with a strong focus on the variety of portrait media used by artists today. The juried competition results in an exhibition of about 50 finalists, with the prizewinners announced at the opening.

The winner will receive a grand prize of $25,000 and an opportunity to create a portrait for the Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection. A fully illustrated publication will accompany the exhibition. The competition is named for Virginia Outwin Boochever (1920–2005), a former Portrait Gallery volunteer whose generous gift has endowed this program. Dorothy Moss, associate curator of painting and sculpture, is the competition director and curator of the exhibition.

First prize:  Amy Sherald of Baltimore, Maryland, painting titled, “Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance).”
Second prize: Cynthia Henebry of Richmond, Virginia, photograph titled, “Mavis in the backseat.”
Third prize:  Joel Daniel Phillips of Oakland, California for a drawing titled, “Eugene #4.”

Commended:
Jess T. Dugan, from St. Louis, Missouri
Jessica Todd Harper, from Merion Station, Pennsylvania
Sedrick Huckaby of Fort Worth, Texas
Daniel James McInnis of Perrysburg, Ohio

People's Choice: Adrián Román, Brooklyn New York

View the portraits from 2016 >>

Tour Schedule

Tacoma Art Museum, Washington - February 4 to May 14, 2017

Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, Texas - June 2 to September 10, 2017

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri - October 6, 2017 to January 7, 2018

Interview with Artist Amy Sherald, Winner of First Prize

 

Exhibition Overview