For the past 23 years, the Portrait Society of America has awarded the Draper Grand Prize to one artist whose artwork, accepted into the annual International Portrait Competition, epitomizes the high standards of excellence in fine art portraiture and figurative art, which the Society was established to foster and advance around the world. As we look forward to the Society’s 25th anniversary in 2023, we are given the opportunity to look back at the incredible legacy of its founders, staff and many members, as well as the monumental impact of its programs and events, including the renowned Draper Prize. 

David Kassan’s Facing Survival exhibit at the USC Fisher Museum of Art in 2019. 

 

David Kassan’s Portrait of Louise and Lazar Farkas on view in Facing Survival at the USC Fisher Museum of Art. 

 

The Society’s Grand Prize was established in 1999 as the highest honor awarded in the International Portrait Competition, and it was renamed the Draper Prize in 2003 after the artist William Franklin Draper (1912-2003), who was the inaugural recipient of the Society’s Gold Medal Award. Draper, an early supporter of the Society’s mission and goals, was himself a noted portraitist, working and teaching from his studio in New York City. The 22 recipients of the Draper Prize include noted figurative artists from around the world, Max Ginsburg, Robert Liberace, Yuqi Wang, Leslie Adams and Jason Bouldin, to name just a few. The first award winner was Chicago-based artist William Chambers, who has since continued to receive many accolades for his work, and the Society’s new chairman, Tennessee-based artist Michael Shane Neal, received the third Draper Prize in 2001. 

Seth Haverkamp, Caspian’s Falcon, oil on canvas, 36 x 24" (91 x 60 cm)

 

Along with the honor and prestige of the title of the Draper Prize, the award has included a significant cash prize, which has increased over the years as the Society has grown in members and reputation. The award money, as well as the consequent publicity and praise from the fine art community, has transformed the shape and trajectory of many winners’ careers. 

In 2017, artist David Kassan received the coveted Draper Prize and the People’s Choice Award for his poignant, double portrait painting titled, Love and Resilience, Louise and Lazar Farkas, Survivors of the Shoah. Kassan’s winning portrait was one in a series of works he created in an effort to observe and celebrate the lives and memories of Holocaust survivors—a project that has grown and evolved over many years. “Winning the Draper Prize was definitely a dream for me,” Kassan says. “And I share these awards with the Survivors, who have all shared their painful, but inspiring lives with me.” On the heels of his Draper win and with the support of his cash prize, Kassan was able to continue work on his project, and the following year, he received a residency with the USC Shoah Foundation and museum. This residency then culminated in Facing Survival, an exhibition of his work at the USC Fisher Museum of Art in 2019. Most recently, Kassan received one of the Society’s inaugural Edward Jonas Grants, established in memory of the late chairman and founder, to support projects focused on portraiture. This grant will help Kassan to fund a new feature length documentary film about “the process and experience of traveling to meet and paint these incredible Survivors all over the world.” 

Seth Haverkamp, Split Infinity, oil on canvas, 40 x 28" (101 x 71 cm)

 

For many artists, hearing their name called on the night of the Society’s award banquet during the annual conference is a dream come true. For artist Seth Haverkamp that moment came in 2019, when he won for his painting Mars Rising, a fantastical full-length portrait of his son, Caspian. To a standing ovation, Haverkamp, a frequent competition finalist and conference faculty member, took to the stage to accept his award trophy and $25,000 cash prize. On how the award money changed his life and career, he says, “The money allowed me more time to focus on gallery paintings, instead of having to do only commissions on regular basis.” This freedom to work without the pressure and time commitment of commissions allowed Haverkamp to continue developing his oeuvre of magical portraits. In a second portrait of his son Caspian, Haverkamp portrays the boy as a young falconer, with a mighty bird perched on his arm and held with a delicate string tied to his foot. In another recent work, titled Split Infinity, a young girl stands with a colorful quilt draped around her shoulders, like a magician’s cloak, with one arm extended across her body holding a paintbrush like a wand. A celestial swirl of colors and cloud-like shapes circle around her face, with a set of piercing blue eyes gazing through the cosmic mist. Along with time to focus on creating new works, Seth has also been able to dedicate more time to teaching workshops, both in-person around the country and virtually to participants around the world. 

Annie Murphy-Robinson, Emily with Flowers, charcoal on paper, 25 x 18" (63 x 45 cm)

 

The most recent Draper Prize winner, artist Annie Murphy-Robinson, received the award this past May for her large-scale charcoal portrait, Casey After the Dance. The California-based artist remarked that the biggest change for her since receiving the award has been a shift in mindset regarding her own artistic ability. “I finally realized I had to just do the best job I could do, regardless of what everyone else was doing and how good it was,” Murphy-Robinson says. “I was surprised that a drawing, traditionally lower on the hierarchical scale of mediums, could win top prize! Having said that, winning the top prize has given me the confidence to continue to work large and in my medium of charcoal, and it has validated my work and its importance.” With her cash prize, she has purchased a piece of land up in the Sierra Mountains, which housed an old gold mine in the 1800s and has access to a natural granite rocked river, part of the Cosumnes River which runs through Northern California. She has been hiking and clearing the land and has a vision to build an agricultural barn space to teach her unique method of charcoal sanding. The week-long intensive workshops would include yoga sessions, morning swims in the river, guided meditations, meals prepared with fresh locally-sourced ingredients and plenty of time for discussing and creating art. Winning the Draper Prize will surely have a significant impact on her ability to see this dream come to fruition. 

Annie Murphy-Robinson’s property in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. 

 

While Murphy-Robinson was the first Draper Prize winner to receive her award virtually at this year’s online annual conference, the Portrait Society will return to an in-person event next year in 2022 from April 21 to 24 in Atlanta, Georgia. Conference registration is already underway, and it promises to be an emotional and exciting weekend as friends old and new come back together to celebrate the next group of International Portrait Competition finalists. The deadline for submitting to the 2022 competition is February 9—and then, only a few short months until the announcement of the next Draper Prize winner. Join us in Atlanta to find out who it will be!  —