Portrait Artist of the Year , resulting in a commission to paint broadcaster Graham Norton, which is now displayed at the National Gallery of Ireland . During the process, it was discovered that Reid and Norton are third cousins. For more details, visit National Gallery of Ireland . Copy Creating a public link... Good response Bad response 3 sites Press release 15/3/2017 - National Gallery of Ireland Mar 15, 2017 —
In a twist that shocked both the production team and the participants, Reid and Norton discovered they are actually . The connection surfaced while Norton was sitting for the portrait at Bantry House in County Cork. graham norton portrait artist of the year
In the popular imagination, portraiture remains a rarefied pursuit—the domain of Old Masters, dusty galleries, and the very wealthy. Yet, for over a decade, a deceptively simple television competition has quietly dismantled these barriers. Portrait Artist of the Year (PAOTY), now indelibly associated with its charismatic host Graham Norton, has transformed a solitary, technical craft into a compelling, accessible, and surprisingly humanist spectacle. While other art competitions focus on rapid invention or conceptual daring, PAOTY returns to the oldest question in art: how do we capture a person? In doing so, it reveals not just artistic talent, but the very nature of observation, time pressure, and the strange intimacy between artist and sitter. Portrait Artist of the Year , resulting in
The 2017 series of culminated in one of the show's most memorable moments: the unveiling of a raw, intimate portrait of broadcaster Graham Norton . The commission, awarded to Belfast-born artist Gareth Reid , became a highlight of the series not only for its artistic merit but for a startling personal discovery made during the process. The Winning Artist: Gareth Reid Copy Creating a public link