World’s Best Abstract Expressionists: FILICHKIN, GEORGIEVA, ALMEIDA, SAJATOVICH, JOANNA, RIETZKE, TOKHTAMAN VALETOVA, PESIC GROZDANOV, OHTA & BERSON/ 2024 Art Collectors Choice Awards

Thom Bierdz
7 min readMar 29, 2024

Artists from 62 countries competed in the 2024 ART COLLECTORS CHOICE AWARDS. 20 international art collectors scored 50 categories of online images covering drawing, painting, sculpture, digital and photography.

The winning works will be revealed in this column one category at a time.

The ART COLLECTORS CHOICE AWARDS winners in CATEGORY 7. ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM represent USA, BULGARIA, CANADA, UK, MACEDONIA & JAPAN.

BIO OF 1ST PLACE WINNER: Tanya Filichkin is an artist living in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, working in acrylic, oil, pastel and mixed medium. Her portraits, still life, abstracts and landscapes are bold, expressive, colorful, fauvist, contemporary.

“Anything that surrounds me in real life could be a trigger and subject for inspiration. It could be the beauty of nature or human beings, expressed human emotions, everyday events reflected in the news, magazines or books, cinema, music and many — many other things. In my artwork, I strive to reflect the beauty of the surrounding world, a distinct moment in life and time that inspires me. It could be shapes of gorgeous flower petals, serenity of a stunning landscape scene, great music or expression of human emotions. I am trying not to be limited by any particular medium, color scheme or subject — art is a freedom of expression and that is the beauty of doing art. Subject always calls for spontaneous, specific ways of expression based mostly on intuition I trust and follow.”

AWARDS: 22x recipient of the AMERICAN ART AWARDS in different categories during 2015–2023 / 15x recipient of the 2024 ART COLLECTORS CHOICE AWARDS

Filichkin’s works were published in the following books:

Inspiration: International Art Book. Contemporary Masters Collection, 2018, London, UK. pp.16–17
The First Berliner Art Book, 2017, Berlin, Germany. pp.30–31
Inspiration: international Art Book. Contemporary Masters Collection, 2017, London, UK, pp.44–45
Inspiration: international Art Book. Contemporary Masters Collection, 2016, London, UK, p.93

https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-tanya-filichkin.html

BIO OF 1ST PLACE WINNER:

WINNER WEB SITES — CATEGORY 7. ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM

1st Place TANYA FILICHKIN USA https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-tanya-filichkin.html “Once Upon A Springtime” 20x20” Acrylic on canvas.

2nd Place — Tie RUMJANA GEORGIEVA BULGARIA https://www.instagram.com/romigianna/ “The City In Us” 70x90cm Acrylic on canvas, mixed media.

2nd Place — Tie TONY ALMEIDA USA www.artbytony.org “Fire To The West” 28x36” Mixed media on canvas.

3rd Place — Tie MARK SAJATOVICH CANADA www.marksajatovich.art “Of Copper Crypts” 61x76cm Acrylic on canvas.

3rd Place — Tie JOANNA UK www.nouveau-studio.uk “Queen’s Gambit” 84.1x59.4cm Pen and ink with acrylic paint on paper.

4th Place — Tie JEANNE M RIETZKE USA Watercolor, ink. https://paintedbyhandilm.etsy.com “The Busy River” 22x30"

4th Place — Tie NINA TOKHTAMAN VALETOVA USA https://www.artvaletova.com “Mysterious Garden” 76x61cm Oil, canvas.

5th Place DIVNA PESIC GROZDANOV MACEDONIA www.divnapesic.com “Dare To Think Differently” 36x24” Oil on linen.

6th Place — Tie RUMJANA GEORGIEVA BULGARIA Acrylic on canvas. https://www.instagram.com/romigianna/ “Winter Fairytale” 40x40cm

6th Place — Tie EMI OHTA JAPAN https://emidrawing.com “On The Way 1” 21x30cm Acrylic and pen on paper.

6th Place — Tie SIMON BERSON USA www.simonberson.com “Series 45 #3” 20x30" Mixed media.

ART COLLECTORS can see the hundreds of winning images and corresponding contact info to all the artists here::

In 2024, ART COLLECTORS CHOICE AWARDS had submissions from these 62 countries: Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic Of Congo, Denmark, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tobago, Togo, Trinidad, Turkey, United Arabian Emirates, UK, Ukraine, USA, Vietnam, Wales, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

20 international art collectors asked to score art:

Andrew Cameron & Marcus Hamilton — Australia

Jason Stuckless — Toronto, Ontario

Floyd M. Elwell, III — Rancho Mirage, California

Jan Gold — Roseville, California

Michael Gregg Michaud — Los Angeles, California

Judi Evans — Los Angeles, California

Alec Wilder — Los Angeles / Las Vegas / New Orleans

Eddie Dyer — Los Angeles / Las Vegas / New Orleans

Michelle Foglesong Wilson — Las Vegas

Thomas Zora — Las Vegas

Paul Iacono — Chicago

Ron Lundin — Naples, Florida / Chicago, Illinois / Vail, Colorado

Jay H. Brewer — Orlando, Florida

Celeste Miller — St. Petersburg, Florida

Alan McMullen — Fannettsburg, Philadelphia

Brian Townley — Waco, Texas

Blaine L. Richards-Miller — Wichita Falls, Texas

Aimee Unakis — Georgetown, Illinois

Karen Valentine — Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Mitchell Antesky — Toledo Ohio

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Thom Bierdz

One of Medium’s TOP ART CONTRIBUTORS, award-winning author, actor, film-maker, painter. 12 books: 6 on art. President of WAA & AAA & ACCA.