Phillips Partners With The Sovereign Art Foundation to Host the Students Prize Finalist’s Exhibition Exhibition to go on View in Phillips Berkeley Square Galleries Alongside New Now this December

LONDON – 17 November 2020 – Phillips is proud to partner with The Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) this December to present the inaugural edition of the The Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prize, London. Established in 2012, The Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) Students Prize is an annual award designed to celebrate the importance of art in the education system and recognise the quality of artworks produced by secondary school students worldwide. An international charitable organisation that supports and promotes contemporary art talent and raises funds for programmes that support disadvantaged children through expressive arts, The Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) hosts nine Student Prizes worldwide and this year marks the first time that the Prize will be held in London. As official venue partner of The Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) Students Prize, Phillips will host the 20 shortlisted artworks in a Finalists Exhibition at Phillips London headquarters at 30 Berkeley Square, where it will run alongside New Now from 9 –15 December 2020.

Tamila Kerimova, Specialist, Director, Head of Day Sales, 20th Century & Contemporary Art, said “Phillips is very proud to partner with The Sovereign Art Foundation and honoured to host the Students Prize Finalists’ exhibition in our galleries on Berkeley Square. The goal in our partnership is to support the Sovereign Art Foundation in their aim to celebrate the importance of art in the education system and recognise the quality of artworks produced by secondary-school students. Phillips endeavours to create engaging exhibitions and to discover and showcase exceptional art. Learning to appreciate freedom and creativity and encouraging the next generation to shine their light is incredibly important and brings us joy now more than ever.  We look forward to exhibiting the Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prize Finalists’ exhibition alongside our New Now auction this December.”

Howard Bilton, Chairman and Founder of The Sovereign Art Foundation, said, “We are thrilled to have such a well-established and important partner supporting us as we launch this Students Prize in London. To have the finalists’ artworks showcased in such a prestigious venue, alongside Phillips’ New Now auction, represents an incredible opportunity for students to have their work viewed by Phillips’ international collectors, as well as the art-loving public of this dynamic city. We sincerely thank Phillips for their generous support and for providing this fantastic platform to students in London.”

Secondary schools in the 12 inner London boroughs were invited to nominate their best art students to submit artworks to the competition. The finalists were selected by a judging panel comprising professionals from different facets of the art world, an exciting panel of judges including Eugenio Re Rebaudengo, Founder of ARTUNER; Howard Bilton, Founder and Chairman of SAF, contemporary British artist Idris Khan; Melanie Gerlis, art market columnist at Financial Times, Editor-at-large of The Art Newspaper and author of Art as an Investment?; and Tamila Kerimova, Specialist and Head of the 20thCentury & Contemporary Day Sale, Phillips.

The overall winner of The Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prize, London 2020 will be determined when the judging panel examine the shortlisted works in person at the Finalists Exhibition on view at Phillips; selecting one student to be awarded the Judges’ Prize trophy and £800 (their school art department will receive £2,000). To boost public engagement and increase exposure for the students, exhibition visitors are also invited to cast a vote for their favourite finalist artwork to receive a Public Vote Prize trophy and £400 (and their school £1,000). Online votes will also be accepted from the general public via web gallery and Facebook page, with voting closing at 18:00hrs GMT on 14 December 2020.

Visiting Information

Exhibition period:                     9–15 December 2020

Opening hours:                        Monday – Saturday, 10am–6pm; Sunday, 12pm-6pm

Venue:                                     Phillips, 30 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6EX

Admission:                               Free

Press Kit

Click here to view and download the artwork images. All images please credit the artist and The Sovereign Art Foundation.

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Instagram:@safstudentsprize | @sovereignartfoundation

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Finalists of The Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prize, London 2020