Read the book online.

X. This book is to mark the 10th anniversary of the International project Young Painter Prize from 2009 til 2018. ‘Is painting dead?’ We have been hearing this question for so long now that any attempts to bring it up might already come across as a bit tedious. The medium of painting has been declared obsolete at least twice: the first assault came in the mid-19th century with the emergence of the medium of photography, and the second one came at the turn of the 20th century with the rise of contemporary and conceptual art. However, such a standoff between the media is absolutely meaningless. Painting was and still is one of the main and leading forms of art. The world’s largest museums are constantly enriching their collections with the impressive paintings of both famous up-and-coming artists, and painting exhibitions keep generating a lot of extremely positive feedback in the professional press that gives a lot of attention to the return of painting and its longevity.

Today painting is more visible than ever. Without trying to diminish the role of of other forms of art, I believe that, compared to painting, conceptual art seems elitist, incomprehensible and invisible. In any case, both traditional painting and conceptual art are levelling up. As a result, we are increasingly seeing paintings in the exhibitions of contemporary conceptual art, and the artists who are using the traditional painting techniques are now adopting the ideas of conceptual art and interpreting the medium of painting more freely. Paradoxically, a tendency  to return to this so-called traditional technique is becoming increasingly pronounced among the artists who have built their careers in the field of contemporary art.

In any case, the Young Painter Prize is not aiming to convince the younger generation of the superiority of  painting. Our goal is to create an opportunity for all young artists engaged in painting to get noticed, encouraged and appreciated disregarding of their artistic area. After having been actively observing the field for more than a decade, I can now clearly see the difference. Many things have saw a lot of changes, starting with the changing attitudes of institutions, buyers and collectors of art, and also the attitudes of the older generations of artists, and ending with to the most important things—the courage and confidence of the young, curious and creative people themselves.

Thanks to our project, young artists get the opportunity to represent their art to the most influential people in the world of art. The YPP offers various forms of support: a monetary prize, an artist residence and an opportunity to organize a personal exhibition. In fact, it is a package of opportunities that any artist concerned with their career development can be entitled to. I am glad that the majority of the nominees who did not win the main prizes in the YPP project have also made great use of our platform: they received attention from professional art galleries, they were invited to take part in important group exhibitions, and their works have been added to the museums and private collections. The YPP benefits  young creatives by providing them with a moral incentive to continue their work, creating a great record in their biographies, and shaping their careers.