Overview
Selectors: Adebanji Alade, Gabrielle Blackman, Paul Carey-Kent, Will Gompertz, Carol Leonard, Nina Murdoch.
Chair's Statement
DE Chair’s Statement
Welcome to the 2024 ING Discerning Eye Exhibition. We are delighted to be once again physically in the Mall Galleries and also available to see and buy from online at www.ingdeexhibition.org.
As always, a huge thank you to the artists who submitted work through our open submission process - we simply wouldn’t be here without you. This year we again had a large entry of pieces across a wide variety of media. The geographic trend that we have seen since moving to a virtual submission, thanks to Covid, in 2020 has very much continued. This means we continue to see work from an expanding list of artists based across all parts of the UK.
We are very grateful to the selectors, who this year are: Carol Leonard, Gabrielle Blackman, Nina Murdoch, Adebanji Alade, Paul Carey Kent and Will Gompertz. They all showed great enthusiasm, good humour, dedication and commitment in addressing the task of judging and selecting from so many pieces of art. The quality of submissions was very high and the choices extremely hard as a result.
As you will see when you visit this exhibition, each selector’s choice is curated as a separate exhibition within the whole. Within each selection works from, as yet, less well known artists, hang alongside pieces by those who are more established or internationally recognised.
In addition, within the exhibition you will see a seventh section, a further small exhibition of the shortlisted pieces for the DE Drawing Bursary, the recipient of which will be decided during the course of the exhibition.
All works are for sale.
We at Discerning Eye owe a huge thank you to our sponsors, ING. This year marks the 26th year of that support. Without their generous support we could not stage this annual exhibition. In particular Małgorzata Kołakowska, their CEO and Katie Hiles, Alex Griffiths and their teams at ING in London who have led on their engagement with this year’s exhibition.
Finally I should like to thank Parker Harris, our exhibition organisers, whose hard work, skill and enthusiasm is matchless, the team at the Mall Galleries, the board of and the many and various supporters of The Discerning Eye.
Sarah Hall
Chair
The Discerning Eye
CEO's Statement
Sponsor
ING has forged a unique partnership with The Discerning Eye charity, championing its renowned exhibition for more than a quarter of a century.
This enduring relationship reflects ING's belief in the powerful link between finance, artistic expression, and wellbeing, as we continue to support creativity and its positive impact on people’s lives.
This year saw new beginnings with the official launch of ING’s new partnership with mental health charity the Charlie Waller Trust.
This union only compliments our work with Discerning Eye. Art’s role in improving wellbeing is established.
Research shows that creating art can significantly reduce stress, lower anxiety, and improve mood. Whether it’s painting, drawing, or any form of artistic expression.
Even appreciating art—by visiting galleries or admiring street art—can be beneficial for both mental and physical health.
This understanding of art’s impact on wellbeing adds even greater meaning to our partnership with Discerning Eye.
Over the past 26 years, more than £1.25 million worth of art has been sold, more than 15,000 works have been exhibited, and more than 4000 artists have shared their talents with the world.
Through this partnership, ING helps emerging artists reach new audiences and provides a platform for creative expression, which, in turn, fosters mental resilience and emotional wellbeing.
As a global bank, ING is driven by a mission to empower people to stay ahead in life and business. This extends to our support of the arts, where we are committed not just to financial empowerment but to emotional wellbeing.
Our selectors—esteemed artists, critics, and collectors—have played an essential role in bringing diverse British art to the forefront.
As we celebrate another year of this partnership, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the selectors, artists, The Discerning Eye, and the Parker Harris Partnership for their dedication and hard work. Together, we continue to highlight the power of art—not just in creativity and culture, but in its ability to enhance our lives.
Here’s to another fantastic year of celebrating the arts, mental health, and the talents of the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition 2024.
Malgorzata Kolakowska
CEO UK & Middle East
Selectors
Adebanji Alade
I was thrilled to be chosen as a selector. I have always had great respect for the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition, which I have followed for over twenty years.
Selecting was exciting because there was such an amazing range of works to choose from. Even though I chose work with an open mind, I would say that my love for representational art came naturally as I selected the ones that I found really interesting and intriguing.
It was a bit daunting because I couldn’t select all the ones I would have loved to, as there’s only so much you can put on the wall space. I kept going back through my list, to make sure I justified every one to the best of my ability. I was thinking of how narrow the chances of being accepted or not can be, it’s sometimes just sheer luck and sometimes just following one’s gut.
Overall I think the range of the selectors gives each artist who entered a chance to be chosen from a panel formed from different backgrounds with diverse tastes and this should give every selected artist the conviction that what they are doing is somewhere up there with the very best art being made in the country and that’s something to be really proud of and what makes this exhibition special.
Gabrielle Blackman
It was the hugest honour to be asked to be a selector for the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition and an absolute delight to spend two glorious days immersed in art.
The standard of work submitted was so high it was a real struggle to restrict myself to just one wall…
It was so liberating that, when selecting from the open submission, we had the artists’ names concealed, it took away all of the context so we had to react to the work instinctively.
I often design and build houses for clients with art in mind. I selected art that would transcend trends and had an eternal quality. I love the idea of smaller, impactful pieces that feel really personal.
These are the pieces that can transform a space into a home. The art that you take with you wherever you go.
I am so proud of all the hard work and talent that has gone into this exhibition.
Paul Carey-Kent
When I’m attracted to art it typically operates like this: something draws me in visually; it turns out that there’s an idea involved; that proves interesting; and the combination of form and idea isn’t something I’ve seen in quite that way before. That ought, in turn, to mean that the work is worth writing about. The works I’ve chosen are a mixture of artists I’ve invited (about whom I tend to have written before) and anonymously chosen open call selections (most of whom I haven’t written about previously). Either way, I’m setting out to provide some 50 words on each of my choices - both to test my own instincts and to give viewers one possible way in. Looking across my 120-odd choices from some 55 artists, I believe they demonstrate the substance I seek. Yet most of the artists don’t have a gallery to represent them: evidence both of the current depth of artistic ability, and of why it isn’t easy to make a living through art. So I hope both that visitors enjoy the work, and that the artists sell as well as they deserve!
Will Gompertz
I never knew being an art selector could be such a joy. Every element of the process has been rewarding, from the wonderful work submitted to the lively discussions with fellow selectors. I am thrilled with the artists I have chosen, some whom I have admired for years, others who are completely new. If I could, I would take every single artwork home with me!
Carol Leonard
Several months after I bought my first flat I had saved up enough money to buy some much needed carpet. Then I happened to wander into a small art gallery in Kew and fell in love with an oil painting, a portrait, by Cecil Beaton. It was the same price as the carpet. I rang my mother in a quandary. “Buy the painting,” she said. “You will always have the painting but the carpet will soon be long forgotten.” I spent another six months with bare floorboards. And my secret passion for collecting art began. When girlfriends were treating themselves to a pair of Jimmy Choo’s or a Birkin bag, I would sneak off to buy a painting instead. Or a piece of sculpture.
Being invited to be a selector for this exhibition has been both a huge privilege and enormous fun. To sit alongside so many respected figures from the art world was a little overwhelming at first but after a couple of hours (it took us two whole days) I got the hang of it and became more confident in trusting my eye and judgement. I just chose pieces that I liked. It was also so interesting to see how tastes around the table varied. And how each selector had a distinguishable style, which meant that there was only the occasional friendly squabble about who wanted which submission! I hope you will enjoy what we have selected and that you will buy lots, to support all of these amazingly talented artists.
Nina Murdoch
It has been a great privilege to be a selector on this year's ING Discerning Eye; having won the ING Purchase Prize previously when invited by Sir Tim Rice. A few years before that Stuart Pearson Wright had also asked me, as had Robert Hiscox before that. On each occasion the invitation prompted my own fantasy as to who would be on my list of desert island artists.
I was therefore thrilled to be asked, but it was a difficult process. I know and admire so many talented artists, so I tried to create a diverse group: in varying stages of their careers and working in different mediums. Some are already familiar names and others I think will soon be. As with all great artists, they have an individual and original voice. They have all inspired me, and I am proud to have the opportunity to exhibit their work.
The open selection was a different type of challenge. I tried to consider each work on its own merit, rather than limit my selection to works which fitted within a particular theme. I selected a large number of what I thought were the best works, but then slept on my choices and whittled them down to the ones that remained with me in the days after. It was hard to make these choices in such a short time frame, but I think I have a great selection of work from talented artists. I hope you enjoy.
It was also wonderful to work alongside my fellow selectors. I was a little daunted at first, but they made it a hugely enjoyable and memorable experience.
Prize Winners
ING Purchase Prize, £5,000: Max Hembrow, The Author.
Discerning Eye Founder’s Prize, £2,500: Felicity Gill, Fluorescent Pink.
Discerning Eye Chair’s Purchase Prize, £1,000: Paul Newland, Incoming Mist, Winter.
Mervyn Metcalf Purchase Prize, £500: Judith Symons, Chair Study.
Tabish Khan Critic’s Purchase Prize, £200: Yvan Rolly Nembot, Lydol.
Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary, £1,500: Gerry Davies, for his 3 entries from the series Flood Story.
Cityscape Prize, £300: Dominic Mallin & Laura McEwen, Umbrella Shop.
Landscape Prize, £300: Lee Madgwick, Container.
Sculpture Prize, £300: Ben Russell, Modus.
Portrait Prize, £300: Ruth Fitton, Attitude (study).
Print Prize, £300: Cathryn Kuhfeld, Lake Como.
Parker Harris Mentoring Prize: Victoria Rees, Vic, You Have 45 Minutes.
Seven regional prizes, worth £250 each, were awarded by the board of Discerning Eye to outstanding talent around the UK:
Wales: Richard Prentice, Anthropogenic Lidded Vase.
North of England: Richard Baker, Unit 5.
Northern Ireland: Hannah O’Hagan Guinness No.3.
Scotland: Donald Macdonald, Paper No.1.
South of England: Louise Lawton, Thirteen.
Midlands: Michelle Heron, Waiting Room.
London: Liane Lang, Circle Stone.