2020 Montalto Sculpture Prize Announcement

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The finalists are confirmed, and we’re excited to announce an incredible roll call of Australia’s finest sculptors and visual artists for Montalto Sculpture Prize 2020. 24 sculptures have been installed with the winner announced at Montalto on Sunday, 23rd February.

Montalto Sculpture Prize is among the most valuable private sculpture prizes in Australia – and founders John and Wendy Mitchell have, once again, confirmed a prize value of $40,000 for 2020.  The winning piece becomes part of the stunning Sculpture Trail at Montalto in Red Hill, on the Mornington Peninsula.

Montalto Creative Director, Neil Williams, comments:

“The Montalto Sculpture Prize has grown to become one the most anticipated events in the Australian art calendar, and its astonishing to be celebrating 18 years of Montalto Sculpture Prize in 2020! We’re particularly delighted to see so many returning artists, many of them amongst the very best in their discipline.” 

It is especially pleasing to have artists Shawn Begley, Ralf Driessen, Philip Cooper, and Faustas Sadauskas as finalists in 2020, as they were also finalists for our inaugural Sculpture Prize in 2003. These artists really are our “MSP Originals”. Many other artists are also returning; 11 x finalist Christabel Wigley and 10 x finalist James Parrett form a unique club of what we’ve termed the “MSPX+” group, those artists that have been finalists more than ten times. 13 x finalist Ralf Driessen, has the amazing distinction of belonging in both groups. In future celebration of Montalto Sculpture Prize and its artists, we will recognise those that have reached the elite MSPX+ group. Lastly, we also congratulate and recognise Luke Neil, Louis Pratt, Alex Seton, Benjamin Jay Shand, James Voller and Julia Sides (in collaboration with Martin George) for their sculptures to be announced as finalists for the first time in 2020.

Many pieces confirmed for 2020 are already completed, however, over the next few weeks will see many artists completing their work and we invite people to follow #montaltosculptureprize on Instagram to keep up with all of the updates from the artists.

 

Full list of Montalto Sculpture Prize 2020 Finalists

 

MSP Original and MSPX+

Ralf Driessen                          -2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018

MSP Original

Shawn Begley                         -2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2015, 2017

Philip Cooper                         -2003, 2004, 2008, 2014

Faustas Sadauskas                 -2003, 2005, 2011

MSPX+

Christabel Wigley                 -2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

James Parrett                        -2006,  2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018

Finalists:

Graeme Altmann, Cliff Burtt, Ben Carroll, Ewen Coates, Mela Cooke, Robert Hague, Hugh McLachlan, Anton McMurray, Sonia Payes, Michael Sibel, Morgan Shimeld, Julia Sides + Martin George, Clancy Warner, Luke Neil, Louis Pratt, Alex Seton, Benjamin Jay Shand and James Voller

More about Montalto Sculpture Prize 2020 »

Montalto Sculpture Prize 2020 is an Acquisitive Sculpture Prize – among the most valuable private sculpture prizes in Australia. 2020 is our 18th annual Exhibition and Prize! Our first exhibition was in 2003, with 17 finalist artists competing for an $8,000 award.

From 2003 through to 2019 we have exhibited 444 sculptures and awarded over $368,000 in prize money.

The permanent collection on our Sculpture Trail is now 33 sculptures and is one of the most visited attractions on the Mornington Peninsula, open daily from 11 am – 5 pm. The 2020 finalists will be on display and available for purchase from the 23^rd of February through to the end of August 2020. Sculpture is an integral part of life at Montalto and a highlight of any visit to the estate. The Montalto Vineyard Sculpture Trail winds its way through the property and the beautiful natural gallery provides diverse settings for the pieces. You might find monumental works sited in open spaces through to more intimate pieces amongst the wetlands and vines.

We believe a visit to Montalto is an experience not to be forgotten; a moment out of the ordinary.

Find out more about previous finalists »

For any enquiries regarding Montalto Sculpture Prize, please email Neil Williams sculpture@montalto.com.au

For any other Montalto enquiries, reservations or information, please email hello@montalto.com.au