Society Explored at the OUTWIN 2019 American Portraiture Competition

By Cecilia Mencia

This year’s finalists of the 2019 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, held at the National Portrait Gallery on October 25th, explore socio-political themes represented in some of our nation’s most vulnerable communities. 50 transformative portraits reflecting issues of immigration, the Black Lives Matter movement, the American worker, LGBTQ rights, gun violence, and urban youth are defined with pure grit and honesty.

“The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today’ features intimate depictions of individuals whose remarkable stories are rooted in the most pressing challenges of our time,” said Kim Sajet, director, Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. “Nearly all of the leading national conversations from the past three years—immigration, the rights of workers, climate change, and the impact of racial violence—are presented here on a personal level. It is a moment to stop, look around, and admire the tenacity and beauty of the American spirit through portraiture.”

First prize went to contemporary figurative artist, Hugo Crosthwaite from Tijuana, Mexico. Crosthwaite, who received $25,000 and a new commission, is the first Latinx artist to receive this prestigious award since the national competition was founded in 2006. His stop-motion drawing animation, “A Portrait of Berenice Sarmiento Chávez” (2018), tells the story of a woman’s journey from Tijuana, Mexico to the United States in pursuit of the American dream.

What’s striking about this collection is that each piece is uniquely impactful. One could easily spend hours ruminating over the depth and beauty of each portraiture watching them come alive in the gallery. The artwork incorporates a variety of media and includes performance art for the first time by Sheldon Scott’s “Portrait, number 1 man (day clean ta sun down). His work pays tribute to the hours worked by his enslaved ancestors in South Carolina.

The competition, held every three years, requires artists to define "portraiture” for artists living and working in the U.S. This year’s competition received over 2,600 submissions from 14 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

OUTWIN 2019 will be on view in Washington, D.C., through Aug. 30, 2020 at the National Portrait Gallery.

Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2019 Finalists

ADÁL, Santurce, Puerto Rico

Paul Adams/Jordan Layton, Lindon, Utah / Los Angeles

Luis Álvarez Roure, Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.

Shimon Attie, New York, N.Y.

Tom Atwood, New York, N.Y.

Claire Beckett, Swampscott, Mass.

Quinn Russell Brown, Seattle

Ruth Leonela Buentello, San Antonio

Antonius-Tin Bui, Houston

Mike Byrnside, San Antonio

Kate Capshaw, New York, N.Y.

Daniel Centofanti, Stevenson Ranch, Calif.

Joshua Cogan, Washington, D.C.

Sam Comen, Los Angeles*

Larry W. Cook Jr., Laurel, Md. / Washington, D.C.

Carl Corey, River Falls, Wis.

Carla Crawford, Petaluma, Calif.

Hugo Crosthwaite, San Diego**

David Antonio Cruz, Brooklyn, N.Y. / Boston

Ronald Diamond, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Jenny Dubnau, Queens, N.Y.

Jess T. Dugan, St. Louis

Nekisha Durrett, Washington, D.C.

Nona Faustine, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Genevieve Gaignard, Los Angeles

Natalia García Clark, Los Angeles / Mexico City*

Anna Garner, Los Angeles

Richard Greene, Los Angeles*  

Lauren Hare, Portland, Ore.*

Sedrick Huckaby, Benbrook, Texas

Zun Lee, Bronx, N.Y.

William Lemke, Waukesha, Wis.

Patrick Martinez, Los Angeles

Wayde McIntosh, Brooklyn, N.Y.*

Louie Palu, Washington, D.C.

Joel Daniel Phillips, Tulsa, Okla.

Deborah Roberts, Austin, Texas

Devon Rodriguez, Bronx, N.Y.

Sheldon Scott, Washington, D.C.

Federico Solmi, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Sandra Steinbrecher, Chicago

Julianne Wallace Sterling, Albany, Calif.

Swoon (Caledonia Curry), Brooklyn, N.Y.

Lava Thomas, Berkeley, Calif.

Michael Vasquez, Miami

Adrian Octavius Walker, Oakland, Calif.*

** First prize winner.

*Denotes artists who were shortlisted.

For more details …. National Portrait Gallery