FACE 2021 Competition Winners

Dear Patrons,

Thank you for your support!

Each year The Society of Portrait Sculptors, a representative body of professional sculptors committed to making portrait and figurative sculpture accessible to a wider public, organizes an annual open exhibition, FACE. We are proud to share that several faculty members, alumni, and current students of The Florence Academy of Art have works in this year’s exhibition, and received commendations and prizes for their works! Faculty members include Maudie Brady, Director of the Anatomy and Écorché Sculpture programs, summer workshop faculty Hywel Pratley and Sanne van Tongeren. Alumni featured in this exhibition include Bayasgalan Batmagnai, Jana Büttner, Xingyun Chen, Poppy Field, Anil Suerndran and Valentina Zlatarova. Additionally, current students Bertrand Godefroy and Philip Hedgecock were selected to exhibit with student work made in the sculpture program at the FAA; the works by Jana Büttner and Anil Suerndran were also made while students at the FAA. Included with images of the portraits exhibiting in FACE 2021 are insightful notes that the artists included with their entries about the subjects of the works.

We would like to give special recognition to current Graduate in Residence Jana Büttner for being awarded the Tiranti Prize, given to the best exhibit form a young portrait sculptor of 30 years old or under, and alumna Xingyun Chen for being awarded The Society Prize which is awarded for the best three dimensional human portrait in the Society’s annual exhibition.

Congratulations to all of our artists who exhibited at FACE 2021!

To view all of the works in this year’s exhibition please visit:

www.portrait-sculpture.org/thesocietyofportraitsculptors 

To learn more about The Society of Portrait Sculptors please visit: www.portrait-sculpture.org

Bayasgalan Batmagnai, graduate of The Florence Academy of Art

Truth Will Out

Maudie Brady BA, faculty at The Florence Academy of Art

Laura

I met Laura in a Astanga Yoga class in Florence and she kindly agreed to pose for this project. She continues to live and work in Florence.

Idan

Idan came from Israel to study sculpture at the Florence Academy of Art. He sat for me a few times before he had to cut his studies short due to the pandemic. He has returned to his work at a foundry in Israel.

Jana Büttner, graduate in residence at The Florence Academy of Art, student work

Hope

TIRANTI PRIZE WINNER

Giorgi was born in 1965 in Brazil but soon moved to Europe. He is an actor and also works as a performance artist.

Xingyun Chen, graduate of The Florence Academy of Art

Practitioner

SOCIETY PRIZE WINNER

He was wearing thick clothes, tattered.  When he opened the button on the collar, what was revealed was extremely clear and sharp bones.  This thin old man is an elder scraps collector who picks up rubbish in the village all the year round.  But this old man is very optimistic and enjoys his life now.  He feels that while picking up trash can not only improve the village environment, but also exercise.  Relying on one’s own hands for food is a self-cultivation.  This is a way to return to life, freedom and self.  In this bitter world, life is short and food and clothing are rare.  We are bound and entangled by all kinds of greedy thoughts so we suffer.  The Buddha said “Let go, you will be at ease”.

Thirties

TIRANTI PRIZE COMMENDED

In the month when I just turned 30, I made a self-portrait.  30 years old is still very young for an artist but for an ordinary woman, 30 years old means that you should enter into marriage as soon as possible, your career will rise steadily and become mature and stable, instead of being a ‘girl’ in your heart. Now there are always some irrelevant people who care more about my age and living condition than myself. I don’t know when there were various social standards for 30 years old women. At the age of 30, I do feel confused and panicked because of some social pressure. Everyone has a different perception of 30 years old.  In my case, age is just a number. So please spare 30 years old women! Women’s marriage and life are their own choices. They are just ‘blooming’ rather than ‘withering’. The diversity of life is still slowly unfolding. Life cannot be repeated. I want to thank all the years for making me unique. I love me who is 30 years old.

Poppy Field, graduate of The Florence Academy of Art

Fatima

Fatima Duke-Pratt is an artist, poet and sometimes artist’s model. Her latest series of oil paintings and prints are thought provoking beacons of bright colour and bold, confident lines.

Bertrand Godefroy, current student at The Florence Academy of Art, student work

Arianna

I was moved by the innocence of Arianna by trying to capture the soft yet strong qualities which also shows through in her personal character.

Philip Hedgecock, current student at The Florence Academy of Art, student work

Gabrielle

Portrait of my friend and fellow sculptor Gabrielle, begun from life before the covid restrictions in 2020, completed without the model after lockdown.

Hywel Pratley MRSS, summer workshop faculty at The Florence Academy of Art

Gianpaolo 2, Fragment 3

SPS PRIZE COMMENDED

An American Italian in Florence. Model, painter and a gentleman.

Anil Suerndran, graduate of The Florence Academy of Art

Self Doubt

The subject was going through a period of self doubt yet deep determination. He was on the threshold of completing a three year program that was mentally and physically challenging. His eyes are gazing upwards looking for reassurance yet reflecting comfortable determination.

Sanne van Tongeren, summer workshop faculty at The Florence Academy of Art

Bluebird

Portrait of Michael van Isveldt.

Valentina Zlatarova, graduate of The Florence Academy of Art

Ralph

SPS PRIZE COMMENDED

Ralph has difficulty hearing, which made his gaze very interesting.  His gentle character contrasted his sharp structure features – a gift and a challenge for any portraitist.

We hope you enjoyed this article about our community of artists!