News / 06 Jun 2025
MA Fine Art graduate to show work in London’s National Portrait Gallery
MA Fine Art
MA Fine Art graduate, and portrait and figurative painter, Richard Kitson, is to exhibit a painting in this year’s Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2025 exhibition (formerly the BP Portrait award) at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
The Portrait Award has earned a reputation as one of the most important platforms for portrait painters. Since its inception, the competition has attracted over 40,000 entries from more than 100 countries and the exhibition has been seen by over 6 million people. With a first prize of £35,000, it is one of the largest awards for any global art competition. The second prize winner will receive £12,000 and the third prize winner will receive £10,000.
This year’s exhibition received a total of 1,314 entries from 61 countries of which 275 went on to be judged in person at Trinity Buoy Wharf. It was here that the judges selected the final 46 works for the exhibition.
Richard Kitson received the news a few months ago that his painting ‘Alice IV’ has been selected for the prestigious exhibition in what is widely considered the hub for classical, modern and contemporary portraiture in the UK. The subject of Richard’s portrait is Leeds based Italian artist and model Alice d'Apolito.
“Upon receiving the news that my portrait had been accepted, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment! I’m from a working-class background so it could be said that my career aims as an artist were somewhat fanciful. Inclusion in this exhibition feels a bit like the end of one journey and the start of the next, I guess time will tell.”
Richard Kitson, MA Fine Art graduate
The Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2025 runs from Thursday 10 July until Sunday 12 October.