ING Discerning Eye Exhibition 2019 Call for Entries

The ING Discerning Eye Exhibition is an annual show of small works renowned for both its commitment to championing unknown or emerging artists and its unique curatorial approach. A panel of six prominent art world figures - two artists, two collectors and two critics - select approximately 450 artworks for an exhibition at Mall Galleries in central London. Some of the artwork comes from artists who are personally invited by a particular selector; some is selected through an open submission process. In both cases, each selector makes their choices independently, giving them the opportunity to champion and celebrate talented but struggling artists and resulting in the curation of six smaller exhibitions within the whole.

The exhibition has been proudly supported by ING since 1999 in one of the longest-running commercial sponsorships of the arts in the UK. During these 20 years, more than 2,500 artists have been exhibited, just under 10,000 works have been hung, close to £250,000 has been awarded in prize money to exhibiting artists, and more than £800,000 worth of art has been sold on behalf of the artists.

The Discerning Eye and ING are delighted to announce the 2019 selectors:

Collector Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director of the Young Vic who has served as Chancellor of the University of the Arts and who holds an OBE for services to drama.

Collector Sir Tim Rice, a lyricist and librettist who rose to fame in the 1960s as a result of a partnership formed with Andrew Lloyd Webber, and who is one of only fifteen artists to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award.

Artist Gill Button, Instagram sensation
Artist Charlotte Hodes, Professor of Fine Art at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London

Critic John Penrose, Chairman of the Discerning Eye from 2007 – 2018

Critic Louis Wise, former Associate Culture Editor for The Sunday Times

Artists are invited to submit up to six works across a variety of media: paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, photographs and films are all accepted. Works must be for sale and must not exceed 50cm (20”) in any dimension. The ING Discerning Eye Exhibition is now almost unique amongst open art awards in that the artwork is still selected solely through a physical submission process; there is no digital pre-selection. There is, however, an option for artists to pre-register online before the physical submission, and they are strongly advised to do this. Both registered and unregistered artists will hand their work in at their closest submission centre once pre-registration has closed.

Shortlisted artists will be eligible for some or all of the following prizes: the ING Purchase Prize (£5,000); the Discerning Eye Founder’s Purchase Prize (£2,500); the Discerning Eye Chairman’s Purchase Prize (£1,000); the Penrose Purchase Prize (£1,000); the Meynell Fenton Prize (£1,000); the Humphreys Purchase Prize (£750); the Wright Purchase Prize (£500); and a variety of smaller cash, materials and opportunity prizes awarded by the Discerning Eye, St Cuthberts Mill and Parker Harris.