2020’S BEST NAÏVE FIGURATIVE ARTISTS NAMED BY 25 GALLERIES:

5 min readOct 21, 2020

NICHOLAS SKALTSOUNIS, MIHAI DASCALU, ASYA UGLOVA, LENA SKUGINNA, SHU YU, ZENYA GORLIK, WILLIAM FRANCIS BRENNAN, C. SCOTT WESSEL, VIKTOR GONCHAROV, SHYMOL

Painters, photographers, sculptors and digital artists from 62 countries competed in the most prestigious online art call, AMERICAN ART AWARDS, https://www.americanartawards.com/, where America’s 25 best galleries and museums score art in 50 categories. In this column, I’ll reveal the world’s best contemporary artists of 2020 one category at a time.

Winners in this category are from USA, Romania, Russia, Germany, China, Israel, Qatar and India.

BIO OF FIRST PLACE WINNER: Nicholas Skaltsounis

I learned a great deal about art from my mother, who studied under Charles Sibley and William Reimann, and also taught art. Unfortunately, in my younger years, art had to take second seat to making a living, and other interruptions.

After a tour of duty in Vietnam, I worked in newspaper advertising and later in financial services. A company I formed ran into difficulties during the financial meltdown in 2008/2009, which ironically opened the door for me to paint full-time.

Most of my work is representational and includes landscapes, seascapes, and figurative paintings. In technique I employ both palette knife and brush, with a preference for oils on canvas or panel. My ultimate goal in every painting is to engage the viewer by capturing the sensory detail of time and place.

www.nicksartsite.com

Each May the American Art Awards organization selects the 25 Best Galleries and Museums in America, then in autumn these revered art institutions vote on online art to decide the world’s best contemporary artists.

Last month America’s 25 Best Galleries scored almost 2,000 works in 50 categories from 62 countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic Of Korea, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Uganda, UK, Ukraine, USA, Venezuela, Zimbabwe.

COLLECTORS wanting to acquire these pieces or contact the artists can get direct links here: https://www.americanartawards.com/2020-winning-art/

Enter here: https://www.americanartawards.com/register-to-enter-3/

CONTACTS FOR CATEGORY 26. NAÏVE ART — HUMAN FIGURE

1ST PLACE NICHOLAS SKALTSOUNIS USA www.nicksartsite.com “Social Distancing At The Shore” 12x24” Oil on canvas.

2ND PLACE-TIE MIHAI DASCALU ROMANIA http://www.mihaidascalu.com/ “Lets Play To Violin” 60x40cm Oil on canvas.

2ND PLACE-TIE ASYA UGLOVA RUSSIA www.instagram.com/asyacorner “Great Mother Of The Suri Tribe” 60×80cm Acrylic, oil on canvas.

2ND PLACE-TIE LENA SKUGINNA GERMANY lena.skuginna@gmail.com
“Friends” 80x100cm Acrylic on canvas.

3RD PLACE-TIE SHU YU CHINA https://www.instagram.com/rambow7d/ “Double Trouble” 220cmX170cm Digital painting.

3RD PLACE-TIE ZENYA GORLIK ISRAEL https://www.artmajeur.com/en/zenya-gorlik/artworks
“Milkmaids. Wedding Morning” 42x30cm Watercolor on paper.

4TH PLACE-TIE LENA SKUGINNA GERMANY lena.skuginna@gmail.com
“No Title” 90x90cm Acrylic on canvas.

4TH PLACE-TIE LENA SKUGINNA GERMANY lena.skuginna@gmail.com
“Resting” 80x100cm Acrylic on canvas.

4TH PLACE-TIE WILLIAM FRANCIS BRENNAN GERMANY www.william-francis-brennan.com “A Day At The Park” 80x60cm Acrylic on canvas.

5TH PLACE-TIE C.SCOTT WESSEL USA lessew@comcast.net
“Dancing Guys” 16x20" Acrylic on canvas.

5TH PLACE-TIE VIKTOR GONCHAROV RUSSIA / QATAR vicgoncharoff@gmail.com “Bather” 30x40cm Oil on canvas.

6TH PLACE SHYMOL INDIA shymoltomy@gmail.com
“Surrendering” 16x20" Acrylic on canvas.

100 ARTICLES and 50 VIDEOS on the 50 CATEGORIES of the 2020 AMERICAN ART AWARDS WINNING ARTISTS will be at this link: https://www.americanartawards.com/press-on-2020-artists/