2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize: Musonium Grand Prize Award + Catherine K. Gyllerstrom People’s Choice Award & Honourable Mentions Announced!
Sponsoring the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize has been an incredibly rewarding experience. It has been a privilege to support and celebrate the creativity and talent of so many amazing artists from all around the world. Witnessing the diverse expressions and innovative works has been a true inspiration. The Palladium benefaction has not only allowed Musonium Gallery to contribute to the international arts community but also to connect with passionate individuals who share a love for artistic exploration. We are proud to have played a part in fostering an environment where creativity thrives and artists are encouraged to push the boundaries of their imagination through their artistic practices.
– Keeley Gerard, Founder & Art Director, Musonium Gallery
We hope you have enjoyed our week of reveals! The Winners of each Award – 33PA Emerging Artist Award, Yasha Young Projects Sculpture Award, Photography Award, Digital Art Award, and RAYMAR Traditional Art Award have now been announced. Aren’t they all incredible?
Now it’s time for the biggest reveal yet! Below we unveil the Musonium Grand Prize Award Winner of the 2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize, the seven Honourable Mentions (selected by each of this year’s wonderful major sponsors, Directors of Modern Eden Gallery, Kim Larson & Bradley Platz; and our Editor-in-Chief Danijela Krha Purssey), plus the Catherine K. Gyllerstrom People’s Choice Award Winner, which saw our amazing community contribute 11865 votes from 101 different countries!
Thank you to everyone that voted for the Catherine K. Gyllerstrom People’s Choice Award. We sincerely appreciate your opinions!
Our Thanks
We would like to once again thank the Jury Panel for giving their time and expertise this year: Michael Parkes (Traditional Art juror), Erika Sanada (Sculpture juror), Kirsty Mitchell (Photography juror) and Karl Ortiz (Digital Art juror), as well as the Directors of Modern Eden Gallery, Kim Larson & Bradley Platz, and the passionate representatives from our amazing major sponsors.
It is thanks to all of our sponsors, particularly our major sponsors: Musonium Gallery, 33PA, RAYMAR, Yasha Young Projects and BearWolf Books, that the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize is able to give artists from all over the world the opportunity to have their work seen, recognized and validated. The Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize inspires thousands of artists each year and changes the trajectory of many of these artists careers due to the exposure, recognition, and funding that the Prize provides.
Finally we would like to thank the Beautiful Bizarre team for their dedication and hard work on behalf of the prize and winners all-year round.
Beautiful Bizarre Magazine will continue our work to ensure that the 2025 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize adds even more value to artists globally. The 2025 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize will open in February 2025, so to ensure you don’t miss the news, please join our email mailing list here. If you are a brand or philanthropist that would like to become a champion of the arts by supporting next year’s Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize, please email our Deputy Editor Natalia Joruk who would love to chat to you regarding how we can collaborate.
‘Paracosmic Escape’ Exhibition
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Prize Winners of the 33PA Emerging Artist Award, Yasha Young Projects Sculpture Award, Photography Award, Digital Art Award, and RAYMAR Traditional Art Award, plus the Musonium Grand Prize Award Winner of the 2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize, have been invited to participate in this year’s Beautiful Bizarre Magazine exhibition ‘Paracosmic Escape’ at Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco later this year. ‘Paracosmic Escape’ has been curated by Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, with Art Direction/Theme Conceptualization by Musonium Gallery. We look forward to presenting their work as part of this prestigious annual exhibition! These works will be shared in the coming weeks leading up to the opening.
Winner of the 2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize, Musonium Grand Prize Award
The Musonium Grand Prize Award Winner will receive:
- $8,500 USD cash, generously donated by Palladium sponsor Musonium Gallery, Palm Springs’ premier art gallery with a clear focus on exhibiting and promoting compelling artworks from exceptional contemporary artists. Musonium exists as an institution within the art world’s traditional art sectors, where innovation and new rising talent constantly influence the ever evolving art scene.
- $1,500 USD cash, donated by our Platinum sponsors RAYMAR, 33PA, and Yasha Young Projects.
- The opportunity to work with Musonium Gallery to plan and produce a solo exhibition, which will be published in a special editorial in Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.
- A bespoke box of paints and varnishes generously designed and manufactured by Dartecor, created especially for the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize 2024.
- A 24-month license to Clip Studio Paint EX, generously donated by Celsys. Clip Studio Paint is the digital artist’s app for drawing and painting anything from character and concept art to fine art illustration, and even professional animation. All of the powerful features are available on all major platforms to explore at home or on the go.
- A beautiful, specially commissioned glass art award trophy.
- The opportunity to exhibit in the prestigious Beautiful Bizarre Magazine exhibition at Modern Eden Gallery, in San Francisco, USA, alongside 70+ of the world’s best contemporary representational artists.
- Exposure to a successful commercial gallery’s collector base with the opportunity to sell their work.
- 10 page in-depth interview editorial published in Beautiful Bizarre Magazine December 2024 issue.
- Winning artwork printed in the December 2024 issue of Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, as part of the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize editorial.
- Exclusive in-depth interview published on the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize and Beautiful Bizarre Magazine websites + shared across Beautiful Bizarre Magazine social media.
- Profile listing [including artwork gallery] on the Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory for 12 months. The go-to platform for artists, curators and collectors to discover exceptional artists and explore their work.
- 12 month social media advertising package (Beautiful Bizarre Magazine: 1 million+ followers across all social media platforms).
- A year’s worth of inspiration – a print subscription to Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.
Winner of the Catherine K. Gyllerstrom People’s Choice Award
The Catherine K. Gyllerstrom People’s Choice Award Winner will receive:
- $2,000 USD cash, generously donated by Catherine K. Gyllerstrom, Collector, Art Consultant, Owner & Art Director of BearWolf Books, an independent publishing house that specializes in Illustrated Fantasy, Mythology, and Stories for Young Readers.
- Deco Pro (Gen2) MW, generously donated by XPPen. XPPen is a globally notable brand celebrating digital art innovation, providing digital drawing products, content and services to encourage artists to pursue their dreams and authentic self-expression.
- A 12-month license to Clip Studio Paint PRO, generously donated by Celsys. Clip Studio Paint is the digital artist’s app for drawing and painting anything from character and concept art to fine art illustration, and even professional animation. All of the powerful features are available on all major platforms to explore at home or on the go.
- 12 month social media advertising package (Beautiful Bizarre Magazine: 1 million+ followers across all social media platforms).
- Exclusive in-depth interview published on the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize and Beautiful Bizarre Magazine websites + shared across Beautiful Bizarre Magazine social media.
- Profile listing [including artwork gallery] on the Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory for 12 months. The go-to platform for artists, curators and collectors to discover exceptional artists and explore their work.
- A year’s worth of inspiration – a print subscription to Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.
- Plus most importantly, receive worldwide exposure for their practice.
Winners & Honourable Mentions
So without further ado, it is with great pleasure and much pride that we share with you the Winner of the 2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize, Musonium Grand Prize Award, Honourable Mentions, and the Winner of the Catherine K. Gyllerstrom People’s Choice Award.
2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize
Musonium Grand Prize Award Winner
Andrea Kowch
Born and Currently resides: USA
“In the Distance”, Acrylic on canvas, 36″ x 36″
American artist Andrea Kowch combines realistic narrative and naturalistic technique, subtly fused with surreal, dreamlike undercurrents in the quest to investigate and represent the human condition. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she attended the College for Creative Studies, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a BFA. Her paintings are rich in mood, allegory, and precision of medium, reflecting a wealth of influences from Northern Renaissance and American art to the rural landscapes and vernacular architecture of her native Michigan.
Kowch’s highly acclaimed paintings garner Best of Show awards globally. Major exhibitions at museums and galleries include the Bo Bartlett Center, Museum of Art-Deland, where her recent solo retrospective, Mysterious Realms was presented in 2023, London and Rome’s Dorothy Circus Gallery, Muskegon Museum of Art, where her first solo retrospective Dream Fields debuted in 2013, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville, Grand Rapids Art Museum, ArtPrize, Art Basel Miami, the Los Angeles Art Show, ArtHamptons, and SCOPE NYC. She also frequently headlines leading national and international art publications. Kowch’s works occupy public and museum collections, such as the R.W. Norton Art Gallery Museum, of the R.W. Norton Art Foundation, Muskegon Museum of Art, Grand Rapids Art Museum, and significant private collections worldwide. Kowch works and resides in Michigan, and is represented exclusively by RJD Gallery.
“In the Distance”: Love is a flaming catalyst that alters reality in a flash. My mind opens and tunes into a new frequency. Is the storm upon the horizon approaching or departing? What, or Who, might this storm be? What transference does it carry? Will it strike down or dissipate as swiftly as it arrives? My duality awakens. The real and unreal are one. I am reminded that yin and yang energy is ever-present in all things. The male presence reveals how my paintings evolve with me, imparting experiences and lessons learned. The woman baking rouses from a reverie, alerted to distant thunder and a sudden electric charge that cuts the air. Two men feverishly harvest wheat, the source of her bread. The horizon implies an unknown destiny.
This work is a testament to the divine power of two halves creating a whole.
Honourable Mentions
Dory Whynot
“Bodies In Our Wake”, Watercolour on cold press watercolour paper, 22″ x 16″
Awarded by Beautiful Bizarre Magazine
Bob Doucette
“Where Angels Fear to Tread”, Acrylic on Canvas, 48″ x 30″
Awarded by Musonium Gallery
Caroline Nelson
“First Bloom”, Oil on panel, 26″ x 22″
Awarded by RAYMAR
Chloe Chen
“FICTIONAL SELF”, Advanced Resin, 30cm x 85cm x 56cm
Awarded by Yasha Young Projects
Rubén Fernández Pereira
“The Beacon”, Charcoal and acrylic drawing on paper, 62cm x 47cm
Awarded by 33PA
Felicia Feldman
“Lilith”, Oil on panel, 48″ x 36″
Awarded by Catherine K. Gyllerstrom
Stuart Pearson Wright
“Middlesbrough”, Oil on linen, 42cm x 30cm
Awarded by Modern Eden Gallery
Catherine K. Gyllerstrom People’s Choice Award Winner
Valeria Andreis
“L’enfer c’est les autres”, Oil on canvas, 30″ x 40″
“Congratulations to all of the Winners and Honourable Mentions!
The Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize is administered by Australian based, international contemporary art magazine, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.
The 2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize
is proudly sponsored by
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