The Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2009 at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery was, as the name implies, held in 2009, but the exhibition of 49 works selected from the 3,300 entries is on display until September 6, 2010.
The museum has posted the finalists on this page, click on the thumbnails for larger versions.
The portraits encompass a range of styles and media, and the competition is meant to demonstrate the widening definition of portraiture and the role of portraits in art.
The website also has a Portrait of an Artist feature, in which several of the participating artists are highlighted and clicking through takes you to a statement by the artist and often additional images.
(Images at left: Phillip Schirmer, Chuck Close, Margaret Bowland, Jen Bandini)
