František Drtikol | Art Déco / Nouveau photographer

František Drtikol (1883-1961) was a Czech photographer and became famous for his modernist portraits and acts in the style of the late Art Nouveau.

Born in 1883 in the mining town of Pribram, west of Prague, Drtikol would go on to study photography in Munich, where he would be heavily influenced by the Art Nouveau.

Early on he divided his time among both drawing and photography, but focused primarily on the latter upon his return home; both as an art form and as a means for making a living.

Igor Talwinski | Ballet dancers

Igor Talwinski (1907-1983) was a notable Polish-born French painter, active primarily in France and England, known for his portraits and figure studies, particularly female figures.

His work is characterized by a figurative style, with soft modeling of faces and bodies often contrasted by lively brushwork in the backgrounds.

He was mobilized in September 1939 and was taken prisoner by the Germans.

Canaletto | London paintings, 1746-1755

The revered Venetian landscape painter Giovanni Antonio Canal (28 October 1697 - 19 April 1768), known as Canaletto, enjoyed a roaring trade from English visitors to Italy in his early career, but by 1740 the War of the Austrian Succession had taken hold and tourism was dwindling.

In 1746, Canaletto decided to move to London to be closer to his market.

At this time Britain was flourishing under newfound wealth.

Philippe Jacquot, 1966 | Figurative painter

Philippe Jacquot's favorite subject is the representation of characters.

Later he sought expression in both portraits and figure.

He works the pencil and pastels, as well as red chalk drawing, oil and acrylic.

After several experiences in decorative painting and design, in 1990 he decided to devote himself exclusively to his painting.

Daniel Del Orfano, 1968 | Romantic painter

Daniel Del Orfano is an American painter, known for working in the Romantic Figurative style.

Through the combination of his simple palette of fiery, emotionally driven reds and his creative use of shadows, Del Orfano raises the temperature in these sensual and seductive paintings.

Even Del Orfano's trademark "Red Umbrella" is prominently portrayed in a playful, creative manner.

Rob Gonsalves | Magic realism painter

Robert "Rob" Gonsalves (1959-2017) was an award winning Canadian painter of magic realism -surrealism.

He produces original works, limited edition prints and illustrations for his own books.

John Currin, 1962 | Figurative painter

John Currin is an American painter based in New York City.

He is most recognised for his technically proficient satirical figurative paintings that explore controversial societal topics.

His work shows a wide range of influences, including sources as diverse as the Renaissance, popular culture magazines, and contemporary fashion models.

He often distorts or exaggerates the erotic forms of the female body, and has stressed that his characters are reflections of himself rather than inspired by real people.

Andrey Belle, 1957 | Figurative painter / sculptor

Aндрей Белле was born in Minsk, Bielorussia. Since his birth, he lived and studied in Leningrad, now St Petersburg.

From 1975-1977, he served in the Soviet Army.

In 1977, he went straight from the army into the V. I. Mukhina Leningrad Higher School of Commercial Art.

He began to exhibit his work while still at the institute.

Upon graduating and being professionally assigned to the Lot Central Research Institute, he started work as an independent artist - a painter and graphic artist.

Pasquale Celommi | A good catch, 1895

Pasquale Celommi (1851-1928) was an Italian painter, known for his outdoor scenes of Italian life in verist style.

Born in Montepagano, Abruzzo, Italy, he developed a keen eye for detail and depicted everyday life with a captivating realism.

Thanks to the help of a local landowner, Don Camillo Mezzopreti, and to a contribution of 30 lire by the Municipality, he managed to study until the year 1873, when he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence.

Pasquale Celommi | Verist painter

Pasquale Celommi (1851-1928) was born in Montepagano - Italy, into a family of fishermen.

Celommi showed an early interest in art and often drew in his home as a child.

Celommi decided to receive academic training and moved Florence to study under Antonio Ciseri at the Academy of Florence.

He was a strong student and often praised by his teacher Ciseri. Celommi started exhibiting his work in various regions of Italy.

Celommi had a large exhibition in Turin and eventually in Rome.

Nikki Marie-Smith | Mixed-media painter

Nikki Marie Smith is an artist, mother,and entrepreneur. She creates themed art, including a music-inspired series, and received the FAA Artistic Merit Award.

"- I am an artist, a mother, and an entrepreneur. I'm passionate about music and color and seek to convey the transformative power of music through my paintings.

My artwork and tutorials have been regularly featured in Cloth Paper Scissors and Cloth Paper Scissors PAGES magazines.

Ric Nagualero | Surrealist / Outdoor painter

Ric Nagualero (1972-2022) was an internationally collected, award winning wilderness painter and outdoors man, with more than 12 years of professional experience in his field.

He's the man behind one of the most popular YouTube channels on the subject of outdoor plein air painting and wilderness painting adventures.

"With a bit of "know how" everyone can learn how to paint, you just need the basics, patience and to practice, practice, practice the skills you are taught, so you can “earn” and keep them for as long as you live" - Ric Nagualero.

Award winning Artists | Sitemap

Lists of Award winning Artists cover some of the notable awards presented for art, some for a specific form or genre, some for artists from one country or region, some more general.

An award in art is a prize or form of recognition given to artists or their work to honor exceptional talent, promote creativity, and acknowledge significant contributions to the arts.

These awards, often conferred by institutions, foundations, or governing bodies, provide artists with visibility, professional advancement opportunities, and sometimes financial support.

Ilian Rachov, 1970 | Baroque Era style painter

Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, Ilian Rachov starts his artistic career like self-taught man in 1988 realizing copies of medieval orthodox icons and frescoes, re-discovering ancient techniques of gilding methods and how to engrave after the golden backgrounds of the icons.

His personal elaboration of that kind of old techniques and his modern view of this very antique art helps him to develop an own personal and unmistakable style in the iconography field.

Paul Chabas | Figurative painter

Paul Émile Chabas (1869-1937) was a French painter and illustrator and member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts.

He was born in Nantes, and had his artistic training under William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Tony Robert-Fleury. He first exhibited at the Salon in 1890.

He was awarded a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 and in 1912 received the Médaille d’honneur.

His preferred subject was a young girl in a natural setting.

Firmin Baes | A Master of Pastel painting

Firmin Baes (1874-1943) was a Belgian painter.

The son of the decorative painter Henri Baes, Firmin Baes was active as a portrait painter and a painter of still life subjects, figures, landscapes and interiors.

He studied under Léon Frédéric at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels between 1888-1894, and the elder artist’s influence is evident in many of Baes’s early paintings.

Pasquale Celommi | Four Seasons / Le Quattro stagioni, 1890-1901

In the series of the "Four Seasons", commissioned to Pasquale Celommi by the Commander Pasquale Ventilj, the pastoral world is reproposed through rustic "types” who reveal themselves rather self-conscious if compared to the more dramatic scenes of the same country artist Teofilo Patini.

The Four Seasons are part of the collection of the The Pinacoteca Civica of Teramo.

Pasquale Celommi | Winter / Inverno, 1890-1900 | Pinacoteca di Teramo

Suhair Sibai, 1956 | Abstract Portrait painter

Suhair Sibai was born in Syria.

Through her work, Suhair explores the concepts of identity and the Self, using the female form as her preferred medium.

According to Suhair, who was educated as an artist in the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, the level of multiculturalism and diversity to which many of us are exposed to these days has the potential to cause the discord, displacement, and division of the Self.

Arturo Martini | Modern sculptor

Arturo Martini, (1889, Treviso - 1947, Milan), Italian sculptor and painter who was active between the World Wars.

He is known for figurative sculptures executed in a wide variety of styles and materials.

Martini was trained in goldsmithing and in ceramics and worked for a time as a potter.

In 1905 he began sculpting; he attended art classes in Italy at Treviso and Venice before traveling to Munich, Germany, where he studied under the academic sculptor Adolf von Hildebrand in 1909.

Emilio Greco | Figurative sculptor

Emilio Greco (1913-1995) - Italian sculptor and draughtsman, mainly of female figures and portrait busts.

Born in Catania, Sicily.

At the age of thirteen entered the workshop of a stone mason, learning to carve crosses and figures for cemeteries; also began making sculpture on his own account and studied briefly at the Palermo Academy 1934.

Valentin De Boulogne | Baroque painter

With the exception of Valentin de Boulogne's baptismal record, bearing a disputed date of either 1591 or 1594, the artist's early life is undocumented.

The son of a painter and stained glass worker, Valentin likely received his first training with his father in his native Coulommiers, near Paris.

He may subsequently have studied with an artist in Paris or in Fontainebleau.

It is not known when he departed for Italy, where he resided the remainder of his short life.

Joachim von Sandrart remarked (1675) that Valentin reached Rome before Simon Vouet (1590-1649), who arrived around 1614.

Maria Ilieva, 1973 | Portrait / Still life painter

Maria Ilieva was born in Sofia, Bulgaria.

In 1991, she graduated from National School of Fine Arts, and in 1997, the National Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia, with speciality Mural Painting.

Since 1997, Maria Ilieva is a member of the Association of Bulgarian Artists.

She works in the field of the murals, portraits, still lifes, illustrations and fine arts painting.

Her works are property of private collections in Germany, United Kingdom, France, Japan, Russia and USA.

Angelos Panayiotou, 1943 | Abstract painter

• "I would like my art to be an emotional and spiritual refuge.

I would like the image to be serene, peaceful, opening a path towards our inner salvation" - Angelos Panayiotou.

Άγγελος Παναγιώτου was born in Farkadona, Trikala, Greece.

In 1962 he enrolled at The School of Fine Arts, Athens, where he studied painting under George Mavroides.

He continued his education by visiting many European Museums, in particular Le Louvre, where he studied historical western art, mainly the Renaissance and Baroque period.

The Marathon Boy, 340-330 B.C.

The Marathon Boy or Ephebe of Marathon is a Greek bronze sculpture found in the Aegean Sea in the bay of Marathon in 1925.

It is conserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens where it is dated to around 340-330 BC.

The Museum suggests that the subject is the winner of an athletic competition.

Vincenzo Cardarelli | I gabbiani / Seagulls

Non so dove i gabbiani abbiano il nido,

ove trovino pace.

Io son come loro

in perpetuo volo.

La vita la sfioro

com'essi l'acqua ad acciuffare il cibo.

Jimmy Lawlor, 1967 | Surrealist painter

Daniel Del Orfano | Romantic red umbrella

" - I aspire to blend old fashion artistic integrity with modern perception.

My paintings depict life, not as it may be, but more as it is remembered- a snapshot, not of a particular moment, but of an overall memory.

It is the beauty of the emotion felt at an exacting time that I attempt to portray.

Trying to capture the romantic yet realistic view one has of everyday life is at the root of all my work".

Jimmy Law, 1970 | Abstract portrait painter

Jimmy Law is a self-taught artist and painter of expressive portraits and resides in Cape Town, South Africa.

Jimmy’s professional art career started in 2010.

He is specialised in portraiture, figurative work and sculpting.

"- I was born in Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State on 26 September 1970. I matriculated in 1989.

In 1990 I enrolled to study a three year Graphic Design Diploma course at the Technicon of the Orange Free State".

Everett Shinn | Ashcan School painter

Everett Shinn (1876-1953), a painter, illustrator, designer and playwright who was best known for his images of the theater, was born in New Jersey in 1876.

He studied industrial design in Philadelphia from 1888-1890, and in 1893, he enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

At the same time, Shinn supported himself as an artist-reporter for the Philadelphia Press, where he became friends with William Glackens, George Luks and John Sloan, whose style of urban realism influenced Shinn to depict the bleaker aspects of city life.

Sexto Canegallo | Pointillist / Futurist painter

Italian painter Giuseppe Sexto Canegallo (1892-1966) was born on 2 February 1892 in Sestri Ponente.

He attended the Linguistic Academy in Genoa, where he was a student of Lazzaro Luxardo, Tullio Salvatore Quinzio, Lorenzo Massa and Alfredo Luxoro.

His artistic style was initially influenced by the pointillist poetics of Plinio Nomellini, together with other artists such as Angelo Morbelli, Gaetano Previati and Rubaldo Merello.

Valentin de Boulogne | The Crowning with thorns, 1620

This masterpiece of Baroque naturalism is among the first known works painted by Valentin de Boulogne, Caravaggio’s most accomplished French follower and arguably his greatest acolyte.

Painted in Rome in 1615 or shortly thereafter, it shows to what extent and how quickly the Frenchman had absorbed Caravaggio’s radical innovations.

Valentin de Boulogne | The Crowning with thorns, 1620 (detail) | Sotheby's

Ricardo Celma, 1975 | Magical realism painter

Ricardo Celma is considered one of the greatest references of contemporary realism.

His work has a mix of influences, are present the elements of Baroque, Flemish painting, Magical realism and hyperrealism.

Ricardo Celma was born in Buenos Aires.

His artistic vocation showed up at the early age of 5 when he started attending to an art workshop and he continued to do so for 20 years.

Miomir Badžić (?-2000) | Ballet dancers

Miomir Badžić was an Serbian artist, known for working in classical and realistic style.

Miomir Badžić, an exceptionally talented painter, masterfully expressed his artistic vision.

He was known for his outstanding paintings of ballerinas, historical motifs, replicas of old masters, landscapes and portraits.

With his skill, Badžić created masterpieces and left an indelible mark on the world of painting.

He devotedly created in Belgrade until the last day of his life, and his art and legacy remain immortal, although he unfortunately left us in 2020.

Anastasia Vostrezova, 1981 | Ballet Dancers

Russian painter Анастасия Вострецова works in a variety of genres: portrait, landscape, still-life.

Vostrezova's true creativity is evident in her scenes of Russian everyday life, festivals and portraits.

The characters presence of mood and soul are delicately transferred on her canvas.

Her works are characterised by the constant search of the illusive language of the soul and the painting culture that changes constantly.

Vytautas Laisonas, 1965 | Magic Realism painter

Lithuanian painter Vytautas Laisonas, born in the village Skrėbiškis-Biržai district, is a member of Lithuania Folk Art Gild since 1991.

His childhood in the countryside has left a lasting mark on his perspective, compelling him to capture the tranquil beauty and subtle variety of the natural world in his art.

Observing Laisonas’ paintings, one can clearly see his appreciation for the pristine perfection of untouched landscapes, which frequently reflect memories from his early years.

Henry Asencio, 1972 | Abstract Realism painter

American painter Henry Asencio has emerged as one of the most intriguing young artists working today.

His work blends the classical ideals of figurative painting with a unique style.

Merging introspection and visual spectacle, Asencio's personal investigations of the figure, spirituality and abstraction possess the power to transform todays ideals of elegance and sensuality.

Robert Henri | Painter and Art teacher

Robert Henri (1865-1929) was an influential American painter and a leading figure of the Ashcan School of American realism.

He is best known for his belief in "art for life's sake", which encouraged artists to find subject matter in the everyday, often gritty, urban life around them, and for his profound impact as a teacher on a generation of American artists.

Flip Gaasendam,1957 | Neo-Impressionist painter

Flip Gaasendam studied from 1977-1982 at the Minerva Academy of Groningen.

In 1988 he obtained the 'J. Egberts' price of the Pictura Association. From 1992 on, he was welcomed in the best galleries of The Netherlands.

In 1997 he participated at the ‘Painters of Minerva' exhibition, held at the same time at ‘De Twee Pauwen’ Gallery in The Hague and at Panorama Mesdag Museum.

Gaasendam’s works are present in many collections, notably at the Drenthe Museum, Gasunie, ING and Unilever.

Massimo Fedele, 1964 | Abstract painter

Massimo Fedele was born in Turin, Italy.

After a few months his family moved to Apulia, in San Vito dei Normanni (Brindisi) where he still lives and works.

After obtaining a diploma from the local Technical and Commercial Institute, he realised he was not on the right track.

Claudio Bonanni, 1960 | Impressionist painter

Claudio Bonanni was born in Tivoli, Rome. From 1980-1986, he attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, then he moved to Paris to study painting under the guidance of Pio Santini, of Tivoli, moved to the French capital fifty year before.

Here he deepened the knowledge of the Impressionists, first of all Pissarro.

Antonio Canova | Paolina Borghese, 1805-1808

The reclining Paolina Borghese as Venus Victrix in the center of the room holds an apple in her hand, evoking the Venus Victrix in the judgement of Paris, who was chosen to settle a dispute between Juno (power), Minerva (arts and science) and Venus (love).

The same subject was painted on the ceiling by Domenico de Angelis (1779), framed by Giovan Battista Marchetti's tromp d'oeil architecture, and was inspired by a famous relief on the façade of the Villa Medici.

This marble statue of Pauline in a highly refined pose is considered a supreme example of the Neoclassical style.

Edward Robert Hughes | Pre-Raphaelite painter

Edward Robert Hughes RWS (1851-1914) was an British painter who worked prominently in watercolours.

He was influenced by his uncle, and eminent Pre-Raphaelite, Arthur Hughes.

Having settled on his career choice, Edward Hughes attended Heatherley's in London to prepare himself for the chance of auditioning for the Royal Academy School.

Hughes became a student at the Royal Academy School in 1868.

Othon Friesz | Fauve painter

Achille-Émile Othon Friesz (6 February 1879 - 10 January 1949), who later called himself Othon Friesz, a native of Le Havre, was a French artist of the Fauvist movement.

Othon Friesz was born in Le Havre, the son of a long line of shipbuilders and sea captains.

He went to school in his native city.

It was while he was at the Lycée that he met his lifelong friend Raoul Dufy.

Félix Vallotton | Landscapes and seascapes

Vallotton's landscapes and seascapes avoided conventional views and techniques, and presented unusual viewpoints and perspectives.

The scene is sometimes seen from above, with the horizon very high in the picture, or without the sky being visible at all.

The forms are simplified, and the figures are often small and almost unrecognizable.

Felix-Vallotton | The Ball, 1899 | Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Sleeping Hermaphroditus / L'Ermafrodito dormiente

The ambivalence and voluptuous curves of this figure of Hermaphroditus, who lies asleep on a mattress sculpted by Bernini, are still a source of fascination today.

His body merged with that of the nymph Salmacis, whose advances he had rejected, Hermaphroditus, son of Hermes and Aphrodite, is represented as a bisexed figure.

The original that inspired this figure would have dated from the 2nd century BC, reflecting the late Hellenistic taste for the theatrical.

Department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities: Hellenistic Art (3rd-1st centuries BC) Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities - Musée du Louvre.

Gaetano Bellei | Academic / Genre painter

The Italian master Gaetano Bellei was born in Modena in 1857, died in the same city in March 1922.

A student of Adeodato Malatesta and companion of John Muzzioli.

Twenty-four he won the Retired Potetti that allowed him to travel to Rome for some time learning about yourself.

Winslow Homer | Summer Night / Notte d'estate, 1890

Winslow Homer started his career as a graphic reporter during the American Civil War, before going on to paint scenes of army life and the rural world with the Naturalist precision which then prevailed in American painting.

After a stay in Paris, Homer used an Impressionist palette for a while then developed a personal style midway between Realism and Symbolism.

Summer Night perfectly expresses this synthesis and may be considered one of the first masterpieces of American art still in search of its identity.

Winslow Homer | Summer Night / Notte d'estate, 1890 | Musée d'Orsay

Berit Kruger-Johnsen | Romantic Surrealist painter

Growing up in Oslo, Norway, nature has always played a major part in Berit Kruger-Johnsen's life.

She studied for a degree in biology and upon completion was accepted into the only graphic design school in Oslo at that time.

The only artist in my family was my grandfather, who never met. It was crazy during the Depression era and was institutionalized. I think it would be fair to say that whenever an artist or not entitled connotations in my family.

Lord Frederic Leighton | Cymon and Iphigenia, 1884

Cymon and Iphigenia is an oil on canvas painting by Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton PRA.

The painting does not bear a date but was first exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in 1884.

The Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, purchased it at a Christie's auction in London in 1976.

John Frederick Lewis | Orientalist painter

John Frederick Lewis RA (London, 1804-1876) was an British painter. He specialized in Oriental and Mediterranean scenes in exquisitely detailed watercolour or oils.

Lewis lived for several years in a traditional mansion in Cairo, and (after his return to England) painted highly detailed works showing both realistic Genre scenes of Middle Eastern life and more idealized scenes in upper class Egyptian interiors with no traces of Western cultural influence yet apparent.

Henri Matisse | Orientalist Odalisque

In 1917 Matisse relocated to Cimiez on the French Riviera, a suburb of the city of Nice.

His work of the decade or so following this relocation shows a relaxation and a softening of his approach.

This "return to order" is characteristic of much art of the post-World War I period and can be compared with the neoclassicism of Picasso and Stravinsky as well as the return to traditionalism of Derain.