Columbus artist Bo Bartlett wins $10,000 prize for Southern art

Columbus artist Bo Bartlett has been awarded the 2017 Society 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art, the Gibbes Museum of Art announced Tuesday.

The prize is presented every year by Society 1858, an arts society affiliated with the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, S.C. that presents a $10,000 cash prize to an artist whose work “demonstrates the highest level of artistic achievement in any media, while contributing to a new understanding of art in the South.”

More than 200 artists applied for the competition.

“Born in Columbus, Georgia, Bartlett is acclaimed for his large-scale paintings that explore American life and cultural heritage,” reads Bartlett’s profile in the announcement of the winner.

“His realist style has been honed through extensive training, including a degree from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Bartlett’s work is included in numerous public collections including the Denver Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Seattle Art Museum.”

Bartlett said he was “honored and humbled” to receive the prize.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity and a wonderful thing. When something happens like this, it’s a little confidence boost, that someone else appreciates the work. You paint with a little more gusto.”

Bartlett is currently collaborating with Columbus State University to create the $5 million Bo Bartlett Center to offer art and teaching programs and recently filmed a movie in Columbus.

This story was originally published August 16, 2017 at 11:19 AM with the headline "Columbus artist Bo Bartlett wins $10,000 prize for Southern art."