The Sovereign Art Foundation

The Sovereign European Art Prize Public Vote Winner Announcement 24/06/2010

Oliver Clegg has been selected as the winner of this year's Sovereign European Art Prize public vote award. It is the only pan-European contemporary art prize, with artists nominated by art experts from throughout the continent. The judges chose David Birkin as their winner at the exhibitions opening, while the public vote prize gives visitors the chance to choose their favourite work and artist.

Oliver Clegg was born in 1980 in the UK, and lives and works between London and Cornwall. Most recent solo exhibitions include Shift at Galleria Unosunove, Rome in 2010 and the critically acclaimed Nights Move at Freud Museum, London in 2008. He has also participated in Distortion a group show for the 53rd Venice Biennale and The Art of Chess, Reykjavik Museum of Modern Art, Reykjavik in 2009. This prize piece will go on to be shown, alongside other pieces of his work, at the Busan Biennale in South Korea later this year.

Upon receiving the award Oliver Clegg said "Thanks to everyone who voted for my painting 'there you are.' It's an honour to receive the public vote amongst such a strong selection of artists from across Europe." The exhibition was open from the 9-20th June at the Barbican Centre and received a record number of over 4,500 visitors.

All the works in the exhibition were available for purchase, with the proceeds spilt between the artists and the Sovereign Art Foundation. A unique opportunity to buy works by these rising stars of contemporary art, prices started from the affordable 400 Euro to over 30,000 Euro. The Sovereign European Art Prize exhibition is now going on to the Isle of Man. The exhibition shall be at the Hodgson Loom Gallery from the 29th June-10th July. Here some of the works will also be available for purchase.

This year the Foundation will use the proceeds from the exhibition's sales to support the Barbican/Guildhall School Creative Learning project involving young patients and their families in hospitals. Each term tutors and students from Guildhall School lead participatory music workshops for young patients and their families in the Children's and Teenager's wards in Whipps Cross University Hosptial in Leytonstone and University College Hospital, London.

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