The BP Portrait Award, now in its twenty-second year, is one of Britain's most prestigious art prizes, and is the leading showcase for artists throughout the world specialising in portraiture. Last year more than 200,000 people visited the exhibition,which is based on the competition open to all artists aged 18 and over from around the world. The catalogue features 60 works from an international list of artists, which together display a diverse range of styles and painterly techniques. It also includes a fascinating essay by bestselling historian and novelist Alison Weir and an illustrated article by the Travel Award winner Paul Beel. Beel describes the journey he undertook to Corfu to paint a large-scale polyptych of a nudist beach, which portrays the wide range of locals and tourists Beel encountered during a month-long stay on the island. Accompanies a National Portrait Gallery, London exhibition from 16 June-18 September 2011 and a UK tour from Autumn 2011.