The third edition sees three early-career artists commissioned to produce work that will be on show at Paul Smith shops in London, New York and Paris
The International Art Prize returns for its third edition, commissioning three early-career artists to produce new works that will be displayed in Paul Smith shops in London, New York and Paris. This year’s winners are Bliss Coulthard (London), Jackie Liu (New York) and Axel Jonsson (Paris). Presented by Winsor & Newton and Paul Smith’s Foundation, the 2026 programme combines commissioning and exhibition with mentoring, professional development and opportunities to build international networks. Each city’s exhibition is accompanied by a public conversation bringing together the winning artist, their judge and ArtReview – the award’s media partner – to discuss mentorship, visibility, opportunity and the practical work of sustaining an artistic practice.
The prize was established to provide artists with sustained practical and professional support rather than a single award. Each winner receives a £1,000 grant from Paul Smith’s Foundation and £1,000 of Winsor & Newton materials to make a new work in response to the annual theme, alongside bespoke mentoring, introductions to figures within their local art ecosystems and access to an international alumni community. The judges contribute their time without charge, while the wider programme continues beyond the exhibitions through business-focused sessions and videos produced by Paul Smith’s Foundation, on subjects including budgeting, communications, networking, social media and SEO. The prize, which has to date supported 18 artists from around the world, combines exhibitions and public programming with practical guidance intended to support the longer-term development of each artist’s practice.
This structure reflects the thinking behind Paul Smith’s Foundation, which was established in 2020 to strengthen the business skills of people working across fashion, visual art and design. It also builds on Paul Smith’s longstanding support for artists through scholarships, commissions and exhibitions, including a 30-year relationship with the Royal Academy Schools and a collection of more than 10,000 works shown across Paul Smith spaces.
This year, the artists were invited to respond to the theme Making an Impression, considering the experiences, encounters and influences that shape their work.
London-based artist Bliss Coulthard works primarily in watercolour, drawing on memories of love, loss and relationships to explore femininity and personal experience. The fluidity and unpredictability of the medium allow her to build dense, layered surfaces or dilute the paint into something looser and more atmospheric. Her influences include horror films, children’s cinema and the work of women artists.
‘There is a compelling intimacy and richness of colour to Bliss’s work that transports you entirely into another world,’ says London judge Katy Wickremesinghe. ‘Her preoccupation with femininity, memory and psychology manifests in a form of storytelling that feels at once naive and dark – deeply personal yet strikingly original.’ Wickremesinghe, founder of The Wick & KTW and a trustee of the Royal Academy of Arts, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Dulwich Picture Gallery, selected Coulthard for the combination of technical skill and originality in her work, as well as its potential to reach new audiences.
New York-based Jackie Liu is a disabled and autistic Chinese–American painter whose portraits depict chosen family and moments of everyday pleasure. Combining vivid acrylic underpainting with layered oil paint, Liu uses humour, tenderness and close observation to consider joy and human connection as forms of resistance.
‘Jackie Liu’s work offers a compelling and intimate exploration of joy as a form of resistance,’ says New York judge Sergio Pardo López, ‘translating personal and collective experiences into vibrant, emotionally resonant paintings that capture the complexity and tenderness of contemporary life.’ Pardo López, Director of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and a curator and cultural strategist specialising in public art and creative placemaking, described Liu’s practice as grounded in lived experience while remaining ‘open and expandable’. He also identified the Prize’s mentorship as an opportunity for her to develop her technique, scale and professional positioning.
Axel Jonsson, based in Paris, makes figurative oil paintings informed by history, mythology, literature, political events and personal memory. His compositions begin as imagined scenes, which he develops through drawing before building the paintings in multiple layers. His references range from Renaissance art and Impressionism, and his work finds inspiration in the work of El Greco, Goya, Böcklin, Soutine and Francis Bacon. Jonsson was chosen by Hugo Vitrani, a curator at Palais de Tokyo whose recent projects include exhibitions by Ali Cherri, Mohamed Bourouissa and RAMMELLZEE.
Upcoming talks
New York
Jackie Liu in conversation with Sergio Pardo López, moderated by Jenny Wu, associate editor, ArtReview
Paul Smith, Wooster Street, NY
25 September, 11am
RSVP
Paris
Axel Jonsson in conversation with Hugo Vitrani, moderated by Fi Churchman, editor, ArtReview
Paul Smith, Rue de Grenelle, Paris
29 October, 5pm
RSVP
