Sovereign Art Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Sovereign Art Foundation is a charity registered in Hong Kong
and the United Kingdom
that raises money to help disadvantaged children using the arts as rehabilitation, education and therapy.
The Foundation was established in 2003 and runs the annual Sovereign Asian and European Art Prizes and is launching the Sovereign African Art Prize this year.
The Prizes are visual arts competitions that aim to give recognition to the region's most exciting contemporary artists. They initially focused on artists working in the medium of painting only but have since expanded to include other 2D mediums including photography, drawing, and print. They bring together the work of established artists and emerging talent.
Howard Bilton, a tax lawyer who turned his art-collecting hobby into what is now Asia’s largest art prize, set up the Foundation. Bilton is also the chairman of the Sovereign Group
.
The panel of expert judges then selects thirty artists from the nominated submissions to form the finalist shortlist. The short listed artists are then exhibited in a major public space.
During the exhibition the final judging is performed live and the winner of the 25,000 Euro/US dollar first prize is announced.
At the culmination of the exhibition there is a charity gala auction where the finalists’ works, excluding the first prize winner, are auctioned, with half the proceeds going to the Foundation, and the other half going back to the artist.
, The Prince’s Foundation for Children & the Arts, Room to Read
, The Peace Art Cambodia Project and the Hong Kong Youths Art Foundation to name just a few. Over the years the Foundation has raised in excess of US$2 million for charitable activities.
The Sovereign Group
is the main sponsor of the Sovereign Art Foundation. Sovereign pays all the administrative expenses, salaries, office costs and the prize money. Partners are sought for the sponsorship of the key events and previous exhibitions and auction dinners have been generously supported by Louis Vuitton
, Bulgari
, Barclays Wealth
, Jaeger Le Coultre, Cathay Pacific
, Sotheby’s, ADM Capital and many others.
Entry for the African prize is by expert nomination only and a world class panel of judges will select the best 20 entries as finalists. The 20 finalists will be exhibited at the Johannesburg Art Fair from 22nd - 25th September and will then be sold with proceeds being evenly split between the finalists and charity.
The aims of the African art prize are to (i) raise public awareness of African art; (ii) provide much needed exposure, recognition and opportunity to African artists; and (iii) raise significant funding for charities in Africa.
The Sovereign Art Foundation has been very successful in discovering mid career artists who have quickly gone on to achieve record prices at auction so the opportunity to purchase these works presents a compelling case for investment whilst assisting a worthy charitable cause.
The prize will follow the same format as its Asian and European counterparts. Entry is by nomination only. The Sovereign Art Foundation will assemble a large panel of art experts from all over Africa who will be asked to nominate the best African artists and encourage them to submit images of their work for evaluation. Next a panel of renowned judges will select the best 20 works and these will be exhibited at the Johannesburg Art Fair.
During the exhibition the judging panel will evaluate the 20 finalists and decide the winner who will receive a cash prize of US$25,000.
There will also be a public vote prize. The public will be invited to choose their favourite piece by either voting at the exhibition or voting online through the website gallery. The artist who receives the most public votes will receive a prize of US$1,000.
The gala dinner will take place after the exhibition at a venue to be decided. The winning artists will be presented with their prizes at the dinner. The winning piece will become the property of the Foundation and will be loaned to patrons, sponsors, museums etc and the remaining 19 finalists, including the public vote prize winner, will be auctioned with the proceeds being split evenly between the artist and The Foundation. All funds raised by during the evening will be applied without deduction to assist charities that help disadvantaged children using the arts as rehabilitation or therapy. This is possible as all overheads of The Sovereign Art Foundation are covered by the patronage of The Sovereign Group. In 2011, the beneficial charity of The Sovereign African Art Prize will be The African Arts Trust.
The prize follows the same format as its African and European counterparts. Entry is by nomination only. All entries are then judged by a renowned judging panel that has a strong authority in contemporary Asian art. This is the first part of a two part judging process where the 30 strongest pieces will be the art prize finalists. The finalists are usually exhibited in a prominent public place in Hong Kong. In 2010, the finalist exhibition was for the first time toured in Singapore and in Hong Kong. In 2011, the finalist exhibition will be toured in Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore and then finally in Hong Kong. (see: The Sovereign Asian Art Prize). The second part of the judging process will take place live, at the exhibition in Hong Kong where the art prize winner will be announced. The 29 remaining pieces will then be auctioned off by Sotheby’s at a charity dinner where 50% of the proceeds of each sale will go to the artist and the other 50% will go to the foundation. All proceeds made on the evening by the foundation will go directly towards its charitable aims (see above).
Additionally, the award also includes the "Schoeni Prize" which is named in memory of Manfred Schoeni who died in 2004. This prize is decided solely by public votes cast at the exhibition and through the Sovereign Art Foundation website. The prize carries a nominal award of US$1,000.
As well as raising funds to assist art projects in Asia, The Sovereign Asian Art Prize strives to recognise the most innovative and influential artists of our time.
Winners
Judges
The European art prize runs on the same format as the African and Asian prize. Entry is by nomination only. All entries are then judged by a renowned judging panel that has a strong authority in contemporary European art. This is the first part of a two part judging process where the 30 strongest pieces will be the art prize finalists. In the past the 30 finalists have been exhibited in London but in 2011 this will move to The 2010 European capital of culture, Istanbul
. The second stage of the judging process will be carried out live at the exhibition where the art prize winner will be announced, who will receive $25,000 US dollars. The remaining 29 finalist art works will be auctioned off in the same format as the Asian Art Prize, where 50% of the proceeds will go to the artist and the other 50% to the foundation.
The beneficial charity of The 2011 Sovereign European Art Prize will be Acik Kapi, a local Turkish charity whose primary concern is providing shelter for homeless children, who will use the funding to establish an arts programme at their centre.
As well as raising funds to assist art projects in Europe, The Sovereign European Art Prize strives to recognise the most innovative and influential artists of our time.
Winners
Judges
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that raises money to help disadvantaged children using the arts as rehabilitation, education and therapy.
The Foundation was established in 2003 and runs the annual Sovereign Asian and European Art Prizes and is launching the Sovereign African Art Prize this year.
The Prizes are visual arts competitions that aim to give recognition to the region's most exciting contemporary artists. They initially focused on artists working in the medium of painting only but have since expanded to include other 2D mediums including photography, drawing, and print. They bring together the work of established artists and emerging talent.
Howard Bilton, a tax lawyer who turned his art-collecting hobby into what is now Asia’s largest art prize, set up the Foundation. Bilton is also the chairman of the Sovereign Group
Sovereign Group
The first Sovereign Group office opened in Gibraltar in 1987. Sovereign's core business is setting up and managing tax-efficient structures to assist wealth management, foreign property ownership and cross-border business...
.
Procedure
The Sovereign Art Foundation invites a network of experts from throughout Europe, Asia and now Africa to nominate artists to participate in the Prizes. This critically driven process allows for the leading, mid-career contemporary artists to be showcased through the awards.The panel of expert judges then selects thirty artists from the nominated submissions to form the finalist shortlist. The short listed artists are then exhibited in a major public space.
During the exhibition the final judging is performed live and the winner of the 25,000 Euro/US dollar first prize is announced.
At the culmination of the exhibition there is a charity gala auction where the finalists’ works, excluding the first prize winner, are auctioned, with half the proceeds going to the Foundation, and the other half going back to the artist.
Charity and funding
The Sovereign Art Foundation has used the funds raised through the art prizes it runs to support various charities that help disadvantaged children using the arts as rehabilitation, education and therapy. Two specific examples are M’Lop Tapang and the Kalki Welfare Society.M'Lop Tapang
M'Lop Tapang works jointly with children and their families to access education, health care, counseling, income generation initiatives and other services needed to secure a better future. It also works in the community to increase awareness about issues affecting street children, in particular abuse, amongst local people, police, teachers and government officials, helping to make the community a safer place for children. The Sovereign Art Foundation is working with M’Lop Tapang to create a two year arts programme to help them teach new skills to the disadvantaged children of the area.Kalki Welfare Society
The Kalki Welfare Society is a non-profit organization working for vulnerable children of Pondicherry, India and nearby areas. Since June 2008 Kalki has striven to provide a better opportunity to street and other vulnerable children living in very poor conditions, offering them the chance to become active players in their lives. The Sovereign Art Foundation is working with the Kalki Welfare Society to establish an arts project for the disadvantaged children it supports.Other Beneficiary Charities
The Sovereign Art Foundation has also supported Kids CompanyKids Company
Kids Company is a charity organisation that works with young ex-offenders and disadvantaged children through inner-city schools in London, a drop-in centre in Camberwell, and the Urban Academy in Southwark...
, The Prince’s Foundation for Children & the Arts, Room to Read
Room to Read
Room to Read is an international non-profit organization with its global headquarters in San Francisco, California. Founded on the belief that World Change Starts With Educated Children, the organization focuses on literacy and gender equality in education...
, The Peace Art Cambodia Project and the Hong Kong Youths Art Foundation to name just a few. Over the years the Foundation has raised in excess of US$2 million for charitable activities.
The Sovereign Group
Sovereign Group
The first Sovereign Group office opened in Gibraltar in 1987. Sovereign's core business is setting up and managing tax-efficient structures to assist wealth management, foreign property ownership and cross-border business...
is the main sponsor of the Sovereign Art Foundation. Sovereign pays all the administrative expenses, salaries, office costs and the prize money. Partners are sought for the sponsorship of the key events and previous exhibitions and auction dinners have been generously supported by Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier – commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton , or shortened to LV – is a French fashion house founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label is well known for its LV monogram, which is featured on most products, ranging from luxury trunks and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes,...
, Bulgari
Bulgari
Bulgari is an Italian jeweler and luxury goods retailer which has been owned by the French firm LVMH since October 2011. The trademark is usually written "BVLGARI" in the classical Latin alphabet , and is derived from the surname of the company's Greek founder, Sotirio Voulgaris...
, Barclays Wealth
Barclays Wealth
Barclays Wealth is a UK wealth manager providing international and private banking, advisory, fiduciary services, investment management and, through Barclays Stockbrokers, brokerage....
, Jaeger Le Coultre, Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place...
, Sotheby’s, ADM Capital and many others.
The Sovereign African Art Prize
The 2011 Sovereign African Art Prize will be the inaugural prize for The Sovereign Art Foundation in Africa. The Foundation was established in Hong Kong in 2004 and is well-known for running seven successful art prizes in Asia and four in Europe.Entry for the African prize is by expert nomination only and a world class panel of judges will select the best 20 entries as finalists. The 20 finalists will be exhibited at the Johannesburg Art Fair from 22nd - 25th September and will then be sold with proceeds being evenly split between the finalists and charity.
The aims of the African art prize are to (i) raise public awareness of African art; (ii) provide much needed exposure, recognition and opportunity to African artists; and (iii) raise significant funding for charities in Africa.
The Sovereign Art Foundation has been very successful in discovering mid career artists who have quickly gone on to achieve record prices at auction so the opportunity to purchase these works presents a compelling case for investment whilst assisting a worthy charitable cause.
The prize will follow the same format as its Asian and European counterparts. Entry is by nomination only. The Sovereign Art Foundation will assemble a large panel of art experts from all over Africa who will be asked to nominate the best African artists and encourage them to submit images of their work for evaluation. Next a panel of renowned judges will select the best 20 works and these will be exhibited at the Johannesburg Art Fair.
During the exhibition the judging panel will evaluate the 20 finalists and decide the winner who will receive a cash prize of US$25,000.
There will also be a public vote prize. The public will be invited to choose their favourite piece by either voting at the exhibition or voting online through the website gallery. The artist who receives the most public votes will receive a prize of US$1,000.
The gala dinner will take place after the exhibition at a venue to be decided. The winning artists will be presented with their prizes at the dinner. The winning piece will become the property of the Foundation and will be loaned to patrons, sponsors, museums etc and the remaining 19 finalists, including the public vote prize winner, will be auctioned with the proceeds being split evenly between the artist and The Foundation. All funds raised by during the evening will be applied without deduction to assist charities that help disadvantaged children using the arts as rehabilitation or therapy. This is possible as all overheads of The Sovereign Art Foundation are covered by the patronage of The Sovereign Group. In 2011, the beneficial charity of The Sovereign African Art Prize will be The African Arts Trust.
The 2011 Sovereign African Art Prize Judging Panel
- Robert Devereux
- Julian Ozanne
- Jean Pigozzi
- Simon Njami
- Riason Naidoo
The Sovereign Asian Art Prize
The Sovereign Asian Art Prize was initiated in 2003 when the Sovereign Art Foundation was established as a charity in Hong Kong and is the Sovereign Art Foundation’s most established prize having had over 2000 artists in the region submit entries in its history.The prize follows the same format as its African and European counterparts. Entry is by nomination only. All entries are then judged by a renowned judging panel that has a strong authority in contemporary Asian art. This is the first part of a two part judging process where the 30 strongest pieces will be the art prize finalists. The finalists are usually exhibited in a prominent public place in Hong Kong. In 2010, the finalist exhibition was for the first time toured in Singapore and in Hong Kong. In 2011, the finalist exhibition will be toured in Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore and then finally in Hong Kong. (see: The Sovereign Asian Art Prize). The second part of the judging process will take place live, at the exhibition in Hong Kong where the art prize winner will be announced. The 29 remaining pieces will then be auctioned off by Sotheby’s at a charity dinner where 50% of the proceeds of each sale will go to the artist and the other 50% will go to the foundation. All proceeds made on the evening by the foundation will go directly towards its charitable aims (see above).
Additionally, the award also includes the "Schoeni Prize" which is named in memory of Manfred Schoeni who died in 2004. This prize is decided solely by public votes cast at the exhibition and through the Sovereign Art Foundation website. The prize carries a nominal award of US$1,000.
As well as raising funds to assist art projects in Asia, The Sovereign Asian Art Prize strives to recognise the most innovative and influential artists of our time.
Winners
| Year | Artist | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Pala Pothupitiye | Sri Lanka |
| 2009 | Debbie Han | Korea |
| 2008 | Chow Chun Fai | Hong Kong |
| 2007 | Kumi Machida | Japan |
| 2006 | Uttaporn Nimmailaikaew | Thailand |
| 2005 | Tsang Kin Wah | Hong Kong |
| 2004 | Jeffrey Du Vallier D’Aragon Aranits | Hong Kong |
Judges
| Judge | Year | Judge | Year | Judge | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sir David Akers-Jones | 2004 | Dr Gao Shiming | 2006 | David Elliott | 2009 |
| Dr Christina Chu | 2004 | Enin Supriyanto | 2006 | Fumio Nanjo | 2009 |
| Professor Kurt Chan | 2004 | Mr Robert Lee | 2006 | Xu Bing | 2009 |
| Angelina Bleach | 2004 | Mr David Elliott | 2007 | Uli Sigg | 2009 |
| Claire Hsu | 2004 | Mr Jean-Baptiste Debains | 2007 | Apinan Poshyanda | 2009 |
| Jeffrey Du Vallier D’Aragon Aranits | 2005 | Mrs Pamela Kember | 2007 | David Elliott | 2010 |
| Prof Chan Yuk Keung | 2005 | Ms Victoria Lu | 2007 | Fumio Nanjo | 2010 |
| Dr. Christina Chu | 2005 | Ms Bridget Tracy Tan | 2007 | Xu Bing | 2010 |
| Claire Hsu | 2005 | Peter Aspden | 2008 | Lars Nittve | 2010 |
| Ark Fongsmut | 2006 | Ms Victoria Lu | 2008 | Graham Sheffield | 2010 |
| Dr Alice Guillermo | 2006 | Pooja Sood | 2008 | Tan Boon Hui | 2010 |
| Claire Hsu | 2006 | Xu Bing | 2008 | Sir David Tang | 2010 |
| Fumio Nanjo | 2006 | Pamela Kember | 2008 |
The Sovereign European Art Prize
The Sovereign European Art Prize was established in 2006 following the success of the Sovereign Asian Art Prize in London. The prize has since had over 1,500 artist entries from the European region.The European art prize runs on the same format as the African and Asian prize. Entry is by nomination only. All entries are then judged by a renowned judging panel that has a strong authority in contemporary European art. This is the first part of a two part judging process where the 30 strongest pieces will be the art prize finalists. In the past the 30 finalists have been exhibited in London but in 2011 this will move to The 2010 European capital of culture, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. The second stage of the judging process will be carried out live at the exhibition where the art prize winner will be announced, who will receive $25,000 US dollars. The remaining 29 finalist art works will be auctioned off in the same format as the Asian Art Prize, where 50% of the proceeds will go to the artist and the other 50% to the foundation.
The beneficial charity of The 2011 Sovereign European Art Prize will be Acik Kapi, a local Turkish charity whose primary concern is providing shelter for homeless children, who will use the funding to establish an arts programme at their centre.
As well as raising funds to assist art projects in Europe, The Sovereign European Art Prize strives to recognise the most innovative and influential artists of our time.
Winners
| Year | Artist | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2009/2010 | David Birkin | United Kingdom |
| 2008/2009 | Nadia Hebson | Germany |
| 2007/2008 | Damien Cadio | France |
| 2006/2007 | Susan Gunn | United Kingdom |
Judges
| Judge | Year | Judge | Year | Judge | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sir Peter Blake | 2006/07 | Charlotta Kotik | 2006/07 | Alan Yentob | 2008 |
| Jorge Molder | 2006/07 | Prof Janwillem Scrofer | 2006/07 | Tim Marlow | 2009/10 |
| Charles Esche | 2006/07 | Sir Peter Blake | 2008 | Philly Adams | 2009/10 |
| Shaheen Merali | 2006/07 | Tim Marlow | 2008 | Gavin Turk | 2009/10 |
| Ami Barak | 2006/07 | Rachel Campbell-Johnston | 2008 | Robert Punkenkhofer | 2009/10 |
| Giorgio Bonomi | 2006/07 | Jarvis Cocker | 2008 | Joseph Backstein | 2009/10 |
| Angela Flowers | 2006/07 | Philly Adams | 2008 | Nasser Azam | 2009/10 |