The 31^st Gibraltar International Art Exhibition which is organised by the Ministry of Culture together with the Fine Arts Association, is being held at the John Mackintosh Hall. The exhibition will be open to the public on weekdays from 26 January to 6 February 2004 from 11 am to 9 pm.

91 artists from Gibraltar, the United Kingdom, Spain and Belgium submitted a total of 178 artworks for this year’s competitive exhibition. The final selection and overall judging was carried out by the following panel of judges:

Eileen Cooper RA – Chairperson

Michelle Chaplow

Juan Bautista Nieto

Eileen Cooper

She was born in Glossop, Derbyshire and studied at the Goldsmith’s College of Arts and the Royal College of Art. She has been Visiting Lecturer at the latter college and at the City and Guilds of London Art School since 1998.

Eileen Cooper has travelled widely, exhibiting extensively both in the United Kingdom and overseas, in selected solo and group exhibitions. The more recent group exhibitions have included the following: ‘Contemporary Art’ at the Courtauld Institute, ‘Spirit of the Staircase: 100 Years of Print Publishing at the Royal College of Arts, the Victoria and Albert Museum and ‘Private View’ at the Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh. Her artworks can be found in most of the major public collections.

Eileen Cooper lives and works in London.

Michelle Chaplow

She is a professional photographer residing in Estepona, Spain. After completing her postgraduate studies at Manchester University, she under took art advanced Fine Arts and Photography course at the University of Seville, being awarded a Diploma in Digital Photography.

Michelle Chaplow has had her work published in countless prestigious worldwide magazines and newspapers. In 1996, she won the prize for photography presented by the Spanish Tourist Board and recently undertook architectural and reportage work for the Library of Congress in Washington DC.

Juan Bautista Nieto

He was born in Lora del Rio, near Seville, where he resides and is recognised as one of Spain’s premier artists. His works are in constant demand by museum curators and has exhibited in countless solo and group exhibitions in many European capitals, the USA and the Far East.

Juan Bautista Nieto has had many press articled on his artworks published in the national and international press. In December 2003, the Casa de la Moneda issued a block of postage stamps, which incorporated one his paintings as part of the 25^th Anniversary of the Spanish Constitution.

The panel of judges agreed on the following prize awards:

The Ministry of Culture Prize – First Prize - £4,000.00

Arturo Hector Carnero – No 12 ‘Untitled’

The Gustavo Bacarisas Prize – Second Prize - £1,500.00

Manuel Luis Yañez – No 74 ‘Lo Bueno Dentro A’

The Leni Mifsud Prize – Third Prize - £500.00

Andrea Raffaela Calo – No 10 ‘Les Fleurs du Mal’

The Jacobo Azagury Prize – Gibraltar Theme Prize - £1,000.00

Clive Lavagna – No 45 ‘Loreto Convent, Gibraltar’

Highly Commended

Paul Cosquieri – No 16 ‘The Smoker’

Shane Dalmedo – No 20 ‘Cat’s Cradle’

Nozomi Hatano – No 41 ‘Rotunda’

Vin Mifsud – No 50 ‘Rain’

Jim Sewill – No 64 ‘Father & Son on the Beach with Gibraltar in the Background’

Jacqueline Wink – No 73 ‘Deep Blue’