“The Valentine Dress,” a painting by Thu Nguyen of Honokaa, was selected as a finalist and will be included in the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition Exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery from March 12, 2016, through Jan. 8, 2017.
“The Valentine Dress,” a painting by Thu Nguyen of Honokaa, was selected as a finalist and will be included in the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition Exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery from March 12, 2016, through Jan. 8, 2017.
It then will travel to four host museums across the country from February through August 2018.
“The Valentine Dress” portrays the contrast between the stereotype of a carefree, sweet childhood with the reality of a life often filled with anxiety, confusion and loneliness.
The competition received more than 2,500 entries in a variety of visual-arts media.
It was open to artists working in the United States who created portraits after Jan. 1, 2014, in any visual art form.
The first-prize winner receives $25,000, as well as a commission to create a portrait of a living individual for the museum’s permanent collection. Other cash prizes will be awarded for selected works. Winners will be announced at a press preview slated for March 10.