Kerikeri Artist Wins NZ Art Show's Signature Piece Art Award

News Release – New Zealand Art Show 2011 8 August 2011

For immediate release

Kerikeri Artist Wins NZ Art Show's Signature Piece Art Award

Resonance

Ben Timmins has won the New Zealand Art Show’s Signature Piece Art Award. The Award worth $5,000 was decided by a public vote during this year’s show held in Wellington last weekend.

The New Zealand Art Show’s executive director Carla Russell says, “Eleven artworks chosen by our selection panel were eligible for the Award, but the final decision was made by people who visited the Show voting on the work they thought was most worthy.

“Ben’s Resonance impressed the panel but more importantly won favour from more than 10,000 people who attended this year’s Show. It’s a powerful painting, oil on Fijian kauri from an emerging artist who is becoming recognised as a future star.”

Ben has previously exhibited at the New Zealand Art Show, at the NZ Academy of Fine Arts and also in a number of dealer galleries. In June, another Ben Timmins painting was bought by the James Wallace Trust. The Auckland-based James Wallace Trust has some 5,000 original New Zealand artworks and is regarded as one of the country’s most prestigious art collections.

“Clearly, Ben Timmins has won not only public but also critical acclaim. We trust that this Award will provide further recognition of his undoubted ability and also help further his career.”

Ben Timmins said, “I’m thrilled to win this particular award. It is especially rewarding as it shows how well the public have responded to my work.”

The objectives of the Signature Piece Art Award are to: recognise artistic excellence in the visual arts; highlight the work of promising artists for the future; encourage, develop and promote emerging artists to new artistic levels; and give the public a voice as to whom would they like to reward.

“This is the third year we have offered the Signature Piece Art Award. The Award provides yet another way in which the NZ Affordable Art Trust, the charitable trust behind the New Zealand Art Show, can assist and support artists and the arts community,” Carla Russell said.

ENDS

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