World’s Best Figure Realists / 2023 AMERICAN ART AWARDS: PYLE, KNEPPER, BRETTLER, PHILLEO, MILLER, IRWIN, BLACK, ONAH, BOLEN, HAN, PRUYS, SHUAI & LI
Artists from 72 countries competed in the 2023 AMERICAN ART AWARDS. Twenty of the most revered galleries in the USA were sent around 2,000 online images to score in drawing, painting, sculpture, digital and photography. The 300+ winning works, 1st to 6th Place (and ties) in all 50 categories, can be seen in this series of articles.
USA’s top galleries decided winners in every medium: oil, acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, pastel, realism, impressionism, naïve, abstract, expressionism, human figure, animal, landscape, fantasy, surrealism, pop, portrait, self-portrait, political, erotic, cubism, floral, humor, spiritual, etc..
Art collectors can see all the winning images and corresponding contact info to the best contemporary artists in the world here: https://americanartawards.com/2023-winning-artists-american-art-awards/
Winners in this category are from USA, GERMANY, CANADA, KENYA, NIGERIA, JAPAN & CHINA.
BIO OF 1ST PLACE WINNER: Dan Pyle
Working exclusively in charcoal, Dan uses a realistic style that mimics photography to the point that his drawings are often mistaken for photos. He loves shadows, contrast, anonymity and using negative space in his compositions. Dan’s gifted eye catches timeless fragments of life in his work — -whether it’s the intricate lines of the human hand, the delicate folds of a garment, or a tarnished piece of silver, they are drawn in detailed simplicity.
With virtually no formal training, Dan has been drawing since childhood. His internationally award-winning work has been displayed in art shows and galleries in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Pasadena, Palm Springs, Provincetown, New York and throughout Europe. His clientele extends to other countries, such as Canada, Malaysia and Australia. Dan’s work has been published in many art magazines and books, and two collections of his drawings are permanently installed in the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, as part of their impressive art collection. His art has been displayed on digital billboards, on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles and also in New York’s Times Square.
Dan’s work celebrates his relentless enthusiasm for detail, through a vast collection of subject matter. From muscular figures, to distressed objects from the past, he continues to challenge perfection. http://danpyleartist.com/
ARTISTS’ CONTACTS / SEE MORE OF THE ARTISTS’ WORKS:
1st Place DAN PYLE USA http://danpyleartist.com/ “Frida” 21x27" Charcoal and pastel on illustration board.
2nd Place — Tie MICHAEL KNEPPER GERMANY michaelknepper@gmx.net “ Poseidon” 150x180cm Acrylic and oil on canvas.
2nd Place — Tie RENEE BRETTLER CANADA https://www.reneebrettler.com/ “I’m Telling” 15x20" Pastel, charcoal on paper.
2nd Place — Tie DAN PYLE USA http://danpyleartist.com/ “Captain Jack” 24.75x27" Charcoal on illustration board.
3rd Place — Tie MATT PHILLEO USA www.mattphilleo.com “Wonderful Old Woman” 9x12” Pencil on paper.
3rd Place — Tie MAXWELL G. MILLER USA www.maxwellgmiller.com “The Journeyman” 14x9" Oil on panel.
4th Place — Tie LINDA IRWIN CANADA www.lindairwinartist.com “In Dreams” 11x14” Acrylic on board.
4th Place — Tie ABE BLACK KENYA https://www.facebook.com/AbeBlackDj “Look” 8x11" Graphite on paper.
4th Place — Tie AUSTIN ONAH NIGERIA austinonah93@gmail.com “The Enigma” 12x16” Charcoal, graphite, coffee, cardboard paper, glaze.
5th Place — Tie TERESA BOLEN JAPAN https://teresabolen.com “The Shakuhachi Maker Performs” 20x13" Digital painting.
5th Place — Tie ZOE HAN USA zoehan323@gmail.com “Bedtime” 24x20” Oil on canvas.
6th Place — Tie CHER PRUYS CANADA www.artbycher.ca “Saturday!” 9x9” Acrylic on paper.
6th Place — Tie HAN SHUAI CHINA https://www.clatia.com/artist/index/225- “Origin Of Life” 120x72cm Acrylic.
6th Place — Tie ERIC LI USA www.ericliart.com “Melody Of Pipa” 20x24" Oil on wood panel.
In 2023, AMERICAN ART AWARDS had submissions from these 72 countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Columbia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Switzerland, Tobago, Trinidad, Turkey, UK, Ukraine, USA, Viet Nam, Wales, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
USA’s 20 Best Galleries & Museums who were asked to score online art in 2023 were:
American Art Awards 20 Best Galleries & Museums for 2023, in alphabetical order:
BEST IN ARIZONA: Exposures International Gallery Of Fine Art
BEST IN CALIFORNIA: Sparks Gallery
BEST IN COLORADO: Mirada Fine Art
BEST IN FLORIDA: MAC Art Galleries
BEST IN GEORGIA: Black Art In America™ (BAIA)
BEST IN INDIANA: Gallery Forty-Two
BEST IN KANSAS: CityArts
BEST IN KENTUCKY: KMAC Contemporary Art Museum
BEST IN LOUISIANA: Jonathan Ferrara Gallery
BEST IN MAINE: Clarke Gallery
BEST IN MONTANA: Cawdrey Gallery
BEST IN NEBRASKA: Kiechel Fine Art
BEST IN NEVADA: Elena Bulatova Fine Art
BEST IN NEW MEXICO: Thornwood Gallery
BEST IN NEW YORK: Gallery 23 NY
BEST IN SOUTH CAROLINA: Mary Martin Galleries Of Fine Art
BEST IN TEXAS: Ao5 Gallery
BEST IN SOUTH DAKOTA: South Dakota Art Museum
BEST IN VERMONT: Helmholz Fine Art
BEST IN WYOMING: Gallery Wild
American Art Awards https://www.americanartawards.com/ annually awards 20 museums and/or galleries, who agree to score art and award nearly 300+ deserving contemporary artists from 60+ countries: painters, photographers, sculptors and digital artists.
