Irish artists celebrated with inaugural Bacon awards
Patrick Graham and Cathy Wilkes have received the first honours under a new visual arts programme. The pair shared a €40,000 prize fund and were invited to present solo exhibitions in Provence, France.
Painter Patrick Graham and multidisciplinary artist Cathy Wilkes have been honoured in the inaugural Francis Bacon Award for Irish Visual Arts programme.
Graham, a member of Aosdána, received the lifetime achievement award in recognition of his contribution to Irish painting and his influence on contemporary visual art over more than six decades. Wilkes received the mid-career artist award for a practice spanning sculpture, painting, drawing and installation.
The artists shared a €40,000 prize fund, with Graham receiving €25,000 and Wilkes €15,000. Both were honoured during Dublin Gallery Weekend, which took place from 5 to 8 November 2026, and were invited to stage solo exhibitions at Château La Coste in Provence, France.
Château La Coste and law firm Addleshaw Goddard supported the programme. The international judging panel included Studio Voltaire chair Emma Goltz, Hugh Lane Gallery director Barbara Dawson, Hayward Touring Gallery head Brian Cass, writer and critic Caoimhín Mac Giolla Léith, and Crawford Art Gallery director Mary McCarthy.