HKU alumnus Lorian Gwynn wins Royal Award for Modern Painting 2026

The other two winners are Gideon van Gameren and Dion Rosina. Lorian was given the award by King Willem-Alexander. 'I am proud of the long tradition of the Royal Prize for Modern Painting, which brings us together again in 2026 around the work of a new generation of artists,' said the king during his speech on 3 February 2026.

Lorian Gwynn graduated from HKU in 2023 in Fine Art and completed her artist-in-residence period at De Ateliers in 2025. In 2023, she was nominated for the Royal Prize with works in which she expressed memories of her childhood and her trip to Indonesia. The jury: 'Once again, she takes personal subjects as her starting point, this time in portraits and group portraits of people from her immediate surroundings. We greatly appreciate the distinct character of Lorian Gwynn's work, which is already distinctive at this early stage of her artistic career.'

For this 155th edition, 334 artists submitted work. The jury nominated fifteen, including no fewer than four HKU alumni. In addition to winner Lorian Gwynn, Elma Čavčić, Anthony Chiou and Jochem Mestriner were also nominated.

The Royal Prize for Modern Painting has been in existence since 1871 and is awarded annually at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. The prize is intended to encourage young talented artists. The three winners each receive a sum of 9,000 euros.

The exhibition, featuring a selection of work by these up-and-coming artists will be on display at the Royal Palace Amsterdam from 4 February to 29 March. For more information about all the nominees, the jury and tickets,: www.paleisamsterdam.nl/en.