Central Bank National Painting Award

Open Registration for Central Bank National Painting Award

The BCRA calls Argentine and foreign plastic artists—having a two-year minimum residency in the country—to participate in the XIII Central Bank National Painting Award. Paintings will be received from September 1 through October 5, and registration is by online form.

Within the framework of the 85th anniversary of the BCRA, this edition flags its institutional commitment on economic development with social equality.

The jury in charge of the selection process and awarding is composed of Adriana Lauría, Claudio Iglesias, Marina de Caro, Roberto Echen and Tomás Espina, with Rodrigo Alonso as curator.

The contest has two categories: artists older than 35 years of age, and artists younger than 35 years of age. In both cases the age will be considered as of December 30, 2020. The prizes for each category are as follows.

Artists older than 35 years of age
First prize: ARS350,000
Second prize: ARS250,000
Third prize: ARS200,000

Artists younger than 35 years of age
First prize: ARS150,000
Second prize: ARS125,000
Third prize: ARS100,000

Artists interested in taking part in the contest must fill in the form online and submit 3 original works that fulfil the following requirements: they have received no awards in other contests and have not been made before 2018. There is no restriction on the technique, tendency or support applied. Candidates must also submit a picture of each work in JPG format. The name of each file must agree with the painting title. In addition, candidates must submit a résumé in word format, with a 2,500-character summary—spaces included—on their education, career and exhibitions. All data provided in the registration form will be considered as affidavit.

The format and/or size of the submitted works are:

- Base (width)| minimum: 70 cm / maximum: 150 cm

- Height | minimum: no minimum requirement / maximum: 200 cm

The Central Bank National Painting Award promotes Argentine contemporary art and brings the work of artists closer to the community. More than 8,000 artists have taken part in the twelve previous editions, evidencing the relevance of this competition. Moreover, the federal spirit of the contest is highlighted by the itinerant exhibition of winning collection across all the provinces in our country.

With this initiative, the BCRA has acquired more than 100 works for the BCRA Collection, which includes works by Clorindo Testa, Carlos Alonso, León Ferrari, Gyula Kosice, Julio Le Parc, Liliana Porter, Alejandro Puente, Luis Felipe Noé, Marcia Schvartz, Luis Tomasello, Margarita Paksa, and Josefina Robirosa. This collection, which is part of Argentina's artistic heritage, stands for our culture and identity.