Media

A selection of works from this year's inaugural RACT Insurance Tasmanian Youth Portraiture Prize is now on exhibition in Launceston. Some 43 entries were received for the Prize from all over Tasmania.

Art lovers can view the selected works at the Design Centre (cnr Tamar and Brisbane Streets) from April 17 to April 27. The exhibition then moves on to Burnie.

The recently announced winner of the Award, Hilton Owen of Hobart, received $5,000 from RACT Insurance as well as a trip for two to Sydney from RACT Travelworld to view works in the Archibald Prize for Portraiture.

Subjects in the inaugural Tasmanian Prize ranged from an artist's son to a newspaper sub editor, and politicians. All the subjects were required to be Tasmanians, and the artists were all under 30 years of age.

Ralph Doedens, Chief Executive of RACT Insurance, said that the Prize was aimed at building a portfolio of Tasmanian works by emerging artists, and allowing the artists a platform to benchmark their work against other Tasmanian artists. The inaugural Prize proved such a success that RACT Insurance has decided to hold it each year.

The judges of this year's Prize, who included Tasmanian Archibald Prize winner Geoff Dyer, commented during the judging process on the high quality of works submitted for judging.

Catalogues of the works are available to members of the public attending the exhibition.

ENDS

For further information, Ralph Doedens on 6232 6383.