Kilcullen girl on shortlist for National Gallery portrait competition

Young Kilcullen artist Della Cowper-Gray has been short-listed for this year's Zurich Young Portrait Prize at the National Gallery of Ireland, writes Brian Byrne.

Della, aged 14, is one of three Kildare artists on the shortlist, which comprises entries from all over Ireland from artists between five and 18. There will be five age grade winners, from which an overall winner will be chosen.

Exhibitions of shortlisted works in both competitions run at the National Gallery of Ireland between 13 November 2021 and 3 April 2022. The exhibition will travel to Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, where it will be displayed between 23 April and 17 July 2022.

In the 66th Texaco Children's Art Competition last year, Della — then a pupil at Scoil Bhride — was one of four Kildare child artists to win an award, for her portrait 'The Mighty Finn'.

In 2019 she won first prize in her age group in the Credit Union Schools Poster Competition. Also in 2019 she won the Brenda Scullion Memorial Trophy in the local Community Games Art Competition. In 2018 she was a silver medallist in the county final of the Community Games Art.

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