It’s arguably the most prestigious, competitive, and exciting art competition for contemporary realism in the world. Now in it’s 12th year, the Art Renewal Center recently announced its newest Salon winners. Who took home the hardware?

The Art Renewal Center (ARC) – one of the most respected realist art institutions – was overjoyed to recently announce the latest winners of it’s incredibly popular and competitive Salon. The 12th Annual International ARC Salon features over 1,000 finalist works representing 640 artists from 63 countries. As part of the competition, the ARC has also acquired 14 works for their own collection.

Tenaya Sims, “Semillas,” 2016, oil and gold leaf on linen, 99 x 70 in. (c) ARC 2016
Tenaya Sims, “Semillas,” 2016, oil and gold leaf on linen, 99 x 70 in. (c) ARC 2016
Nick Alm, “The Performance,” 2015, oil on canvas, 39 1/4 x 39 1/4 in. (c) ARC 2016
Nick Alm, “The Performance,” 2015, oil on canvas, 39 1/4 x 39 1/4 in. (c) ARC 2016

Awards are categorized by various different sections – most often surrounding subject, including best nude, best social commentary, best trompe l’oeil, best figure, best portrait, best still life, best imaginative realism, best landscape, and many more. Of course, all artists covet earning best in show honors, museum purchase awards, and others sponsored by magazines such as Fine Art Connoisseur and PleinAir Magazine.

Dave Santillanes (1st – Landscape), “The Coming Rain,” 2014, oil, 32 x 24 in. (c) ARC 2016
Dave Santillanes (1st – Landscape), “The Coming Rain,” 2014, oil, 32 x 24 in. (c) ARC 2016
J Michael Wilson (1st – Sculpture), “One Glove,” 2016, clay for bronze, 75 x 34 x 33 in. (c) ARC 2016
J Michael Wilson (1st – Sculpture), “One Glove,” 2016, clay for bronze, 75 x 34 x 33 in. (c) ARC 2016

Tenaya Sims’ outstanding work “Semillas” (seeds) earned top distinction as Best in Show in 2016. Runner up honors, titled The Bouguereau Award, was taken home by Nick Alm for his painting “The Performance. The winner of The Da Vinci Initiative Award for the Young Aspiring Artist was awarded to 15-year-old Ray Wanda Totanes for her marvelous painting “Perception of Self”. The Oil Painters of America (OPA) also sponsors an award of $1000, which was given to Michele Del Camp for his painting “The Argument.”

Emmanuela De Musis (1st – Portraiture), “Miss Rachel,” 2015, oil on linen, 42 x 24 in. (c) ARC 2016
Emmanuela De Musis (1st – Portraiture), “Miss Rachel,” 2015, oil on linen, 42 x 24 in. (c) ARC 2016
Stephen Jesic (1st – Animal), “Jewel of the Amazon,” 2015, acrylic on birch, 24 x 20 in. (c) ARC 2016
Stephen Jesic (1st – Animal), “Jewel of the Amazon,” 2015, acrylic on birch, 24 x 20 in. (c) ARC 2016

Many other honors were given to well-deserving artists, and we encourage you to view the full list of recipients by visiting the ARC International Salon webpage.

Julio Reyes (1st – Drawing), “Deliverance,” 2015, charcoal, ink, and graphite on drafting film, 16 x 16 1/2 in. (c) ARC 2016
Julio Reyes (1st – Drawing), “Deliverance,” 2015, charcoal, ink, and graphite on drafting film, 16 x 16 1/2 in. (c) ARC 2016
Steve Levin (1st – Still Life), “Books and Butterflies,” 2015, oil on canvas, 28 x 22 in. (c) ARC 2016
Steve Levin (1st – Still Life), “Books and Butterflies,” 2015, oil on canvas, 28 x 22 in. (c) ARC 2016

As has been the custom since its inception, the ARC will be working with galleries such as Rehs Contemporary, Arcadia Contemporary, and The Salmagundi Club to mount several exhibitions of finalist works, which will be held early in 2017; exact dates to be announced. Currently on the slate is a showing of approximately 75 works for the live version of the ARC Salon that will travel from the Salmagundi Club to the MEAM Museum in Barcelona, Spain, where it will be on view from September 23 through November 27, 2017. The showing at the Salmagundi Club will open May 12 and continue through June 1, 2017.

Robert Liberace (1st – Imaginative Realist), “5th Circle,” 2015, oil on linen, 36 x 48 in. (c) ARC 2016
Robert Liberace (1st – Imaginative Realist), “5th Circle,” 2015, oil on linen, 36 x 48 in. (c) ARC 2016
Ray Wanda Totanes (Winner – Da Vinci Initiative), “Perception of Self,” 2015, oil, 16 x 12 in. (c) ARC 2016
Ray Wanda Totanes (Winner – Da Vinci Initiative), “Perception of Self,” 2015, oil, 16 x 12 in. (c) ARC 2016

The 13th Annual International Salon will feature a new category: plein air! Sponsored by the California Plein Air Painters and Masters of Plein Air Academy, organizers expect a robust number of entries in this category, especially given the meteoric rise of plein air’s popularity.

To learn more, visit The Art Renewal Center.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.


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Andrew Webster is the former Editor of Fine Art Today and worked as an editorial and creative marketing assistant for Streamline Publishing. Andrew graduated from The University of North Carolina at Asheville with a B.A. in Art History and Ceramics. He then moved on to the University of Oregon, where he completed an M.A. in Art History. Studying under scholar Kathleen Nicholson, he completed a thesis project that investigated the peculiar practice of embedded self-portraiture within Christian imagery during the 15th and early 16th centuries in Italy.

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