Stellenbosch and Somerset West artists among Top 40 Portrait Award finalists

Christelle du Plessis and Shany van den Berg, both from Stellenbosch, along with Tessa Smit of Somerset West, have been named among the Top 40 finalists for the anticipated 2025 Portrait Award. 

These biennial awards showcase the compelling portraiture in South Africa today, from oil to mixed media, realism to abstraction. 

The adjudication process took place from June until this month, with the Top 40 being announced on Wednesday, August 6.

Winners of the 2025 Portrait Award will be announced on Friday, August 29, at an exclusive gala event at the Rust-en-vrede Gallery and Clay Museum in Durbanville, where the overall winner will receive a share of R150 000 and be allowed to host a solo exhibition.

Second place will receive R30 000 and third place will go home with R20 000.

All of these Top 40 works will then be exhibited at the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery and Clay Museum, from Saturday, August 30 to Wednesday, October 29.

Donavan Mynhardt, curator at the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery, said: “What excited us most this year was the number of new mediums and approaches we saw. There was a noticeable increase in entries using drawings, embroidery, graphic-based techniques, and even tattoo ink, all of which are truly pushing the boundaries of portraiture in exciting new ways.”  

Sean O’Toole, a member of the judging panel, stated that every entry deserves consideration and pause.

“I enjoy the fact that some entrants want to disrupt expectations, be it by using non-traditional material (textiles mainly) or by offering new perspectives and subjects. My only caveat is that experiments have to demonstrate mastery of the material or subject; in itself, an unorthodox medium or approach is not enough,” he said.

The Portrait 100 exhibition, featuring 60 more portraits that formed part of the Top 100, will be on display at the Spier Arts Trust Union House in Cape Town, from Saturday, August 30 to Wednesday, October 29.

Ms Du Plessis expressed that being one of the top 40 finalists is deeply meaningful to her. 

“On a personal level, it affirms the years of commitment I have given to portraiture and it encourages me to continue exploring work that is both technically demanding and emotionally resonant,” she said.

Ms Smit said she was excited to see her work included alongside so many talented artists. “It's a real encouragement to keep pushing myself artistically.”

Ms Van den Berg said: “To have not one but both of my two portrait entries in the Top 40 is an achievement for me, a recognition in my artist’s practice and in my ongoing artistic growth.”