AXA Traveling Art Prize Exhibition

AXA Traveling Art Prize Exhibition 

On view: September 6–October 6
Private Reception: Thursday, September 12 | 5–8pm

The AXA Art Prize, formerly the XL Catlin Art Prize, shines a spotlight on the re-emergence of figurative art in the contemporary art world.

Now in its second year in North America, the prize is founded on a 10-year legacy of a previous prize which was established in the UK and recognized young artists through a prestigious London exhibition and catalogue publication. Over a decade the prize established a strong reputation as an insightful overview of emerging talent and has continued to build on that position of credibility in North America.

The AXA Art Prize is comprised of three exhibitions, taking place in San Francisco, Chicago and New York, and a printed catalogue, all designed to showcase the finalists’ work. The contest provides a unique platform for new artistic talent and gives the next generation of figurative artists the perfect forum in which to launch their careers.

Congratulations to SFAI student Jusun Jessie Seo, who has been selected as one of our 40 finalists for this year’s competition! The shortlisted artists, nine young men and 31 young women, are enrolled at 30 different schools. The artists hail from 14 different states and three countries. Four schools have multiple shortlisted artists: California College of the Arts and the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University both have two, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago has three, and the New York Academy of Art has seven finalists. Three artists who made the 2018 shortlist were accepted once again in 2019: Merritt Barnwell of Yale University and Luisiana Mera and Prinston Nnanna of the New York Academy of Art.

Submissions for the Prize were first reviewed by regional jurors from the Prize’s Strategic Advisory Board of 34 major art schools and programs in the U.S. The final 40 works in the exhibition, which include paintings, drawings and prints, were chosen by an exhibition jury comprised of regional jurors from across the US and four exhibition jurors from the MET, MoMa, The Whitney, and New Museum. 

To learn more, please visit www.axaxl.com.