Kathryn Maple wins 2021 John Moores Painting Prize with 'The Common'

Kathryn Maple has been awarded the 2021 John Moores Painting Prize, receiving £25,000 for her large-scale acrylic painting titled The Common. The Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, which organizes the prize, will acquire the winning artwork. A jury of artists Michelle Williams Gamaker, Hurvin Anderson, Alison Goldfrapp, and Gu Wenda, along with writer and art critic Jennifer Higgie, selected Maple from a shortlist of five. Juror Hurvin Anderson praised the painting's vivid storytelling and dynamic color palette, noting its evocative composition that finds magic in everyday human experience against nature. The other shortlisted artists—Robbie Bushe, Michele Fletcher, Steph Goodger, and Stephen Lee—each receive £2,500. The prize, one of the UK's most prestigious for painting, highlights contemporary artistic practice and supports artists through acquisition and financial awards.