Elisabeth Murdoch Launches Freelands Art Award for Midcareer British Women Artists

Elisabeth Murdoch, Australian media entrepreneur and daughter of Rupert Murdoch, has announced the launch of the Freelands Artist Award, a new prize dedicated to midcareer British women artists. The award, named after her Freelands Foundation, offers £150,000 (approximately $150,000) to support artists without age restrictions, contrasting with the Turner Prize which is limited to artists under 50. Murdoch, a trustee of Tate and founder of Shine Group, stated that midcareer women artists lack sufficient support in the art world. The first edition's jury includes Jenni Lomax of Camden Arts Center, curator Teresa Gleadowe, artist Phyllida Barlow, and Bergen Kunsthalle director Martin Clark. The winner will be announced in autumn 2016. The prize follows a 2015 report commissioned by the Freelands Foundation, led by Charlotte Bonham-Carter of Central Saint Martins, which found that only 25% of solo shows at major London institutions were dedicated to women artists.