Leo Fitzmaurice with his nominator Kate Farrell

Leo Fitzmaurice the winner of the fifth annual Northern Art Prize. Judge Simon Wallis presented Fitzmaurice with a cheque for £16,500 at the prize-giving ceremony last night (19 January) at Leeds Art Gallery attended by over 500 people from the arts, business, public and voluntary sectors.  The remaining three short listed artists; Liadin Cooke, James Hugonin and Richard Rigg each walked away with £1,500.

In choosing Fitzmaurice as the winner, the judges commented:  “The strength of this year’s exhibition and the Prize are testament to the generosity and commitment of all the artists. However, Leo’s work for the Northern Art Prize exhibition in particular is ambitious, risky and compelling.  Drawing upon historic resources and current mobile phone technology, he provides a fresh perspective on the traditional subject of landscape, whilst at the same time pushing the boundaries of his own practice.”

The Northern Art Prize exhibition continues at Leeds Art Gallery until 19 February 2012, showing the work of all four shortlisted artists: Liadin Cooke, Leo Fitzmaurice, James Hugonin and Richard Rigg.