PRNewswire NEW YORK Nov. 21 :

Celebrating its 75th Anniversary as the preferred hotel to Gotham artists
and performers for three quarters of a century, New York`s Buckingham
Hotel last night hosted the unveiling, exhibition, and awards ceremony for
the winners of the first annual “Buckingham Prize for the Expression of
Music through Art,” a unique, juried art competition held in association
with the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture and Art
Students League of New York.

Attendees at the ceremony included Regina Resnik, to whom Gramophone
Magazine recently referred as the “Grand Dame” of Mezzo-Sopranos, and
Metropolitan Opera Conductor Daniel Oren. Maestro Oren is presently
conducting La Boheme at the Met, whose cast included Ramon Vargas; both
men were in residence at the Buckingham during the time of their Boheme
performances.
“Singing Birds,” an oil-on-canvas piece by Ronan Sharabani was unveiled as
the overall Grand Winner of the Buckingham Prize. “Ballet of the Stars” by
Norman Darvie took second place, and “Red Ballet Red” by Janet Cook,
third. The work of the winners was unveiled by Stephen Shapiro, Managing
Partner of the Buckingham Hotel, as well as by Ira Goldberg, Executive
Director of the Art Students League.

Sharabani, who joined New York Studio School in 2000 after studying in
Israel, is a recipient of the 1998 Golden Feather award (for editing and
video work), and the 2002 Hohenberg Scholarship. “Music inspires on many
levels,” he said. “I attended a concert of Handel, and it was the sight of
a chorus and the sound of human voices in harmony that moved me. This
mixture, combined with the nuances of light and shadow in my imagination,
inspired me to create this painting.”
“Singing Birds”—which was culled from over 100 entries from the City`s
seven largest art schools this June—was awarded $10,000 and will be
displayed by the Buckingham Hotel in its grand lobby; cash purchase prizes
of $5,000 and $2000 went to Darvie and Cook respectively.

The three paintings become part of the Buckingham`s permanent collection
of musically inspired artwork that already includes “Bounce Fugue,” a
piece crafted from musical instruments themselves, and commissioned from a
team at the New York Studio School under the direction of Graham Nickson.
The Buckingham collection also features portraits of Artur Rubenstein and
Mstislav Rastropovich by the late School of Paris painter Arbit Blatas, on
loan by one of the Buckingham Prize judges, Regina Resnik, wife of the
artist.
The Buckingham`s collection also includes the “Dancing King,” a stained
glass installation at the Hotel`s entranceway commissioned from Jose
Ortega and crafted by the fourth-generation Rambusch Studios. The work
pays homage to the West 57th Street tradition of art glass and performing
artists.

About The Buckingham Prize
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In the tradition of Paderewski`s establishment of the Paderewski Fund, the
Buckingham Hotel established “The Buckingham Prize for the Expression of
Music Through Art” in 2002 to support young artists. The Buckingham Prize
is a juried art competition co-sponsored with the New York Studio School
and the Art Students League, and it awards monetary prizes for paintings
which best capture the theme of music.
“The Buckingham Prize celebrates the extensive musical history of the
property, as well as honors West 57th Street`s own long-standing artistic
traditions,” said Stephen Shapiro. He continued, “For three-quarters of a
century, the Buckingham has been home to world-renowned musicians,
performers, and artists. In the last few weeks alone we have hosted
everyone from the Kronos Quartet to Lou Rawls to Lang Lang. The tradition
continues!”
Determination of the winners of the Buckingham Prize was made by a panel
of prestigious judges, including Graham Nickson, Dean of the New York
Studio School and Ira Goldberg, Director of the Art Students League, both
of whom are painters. The third judging position, annually reserved for a
Performing Artist Judge with a strong association with the visual arts,
has been filled this year by renowned opera star Regina Resnik, who has
long been associated with the visual arts both through her husband,
painter Arbit Blatas, and through her own creative works, including film
and opera production.
The Buckingham Hotel (http://www.buckinghamhotel.com/) is located at 101
West 57th Street, at the corner of Sixth Avenue, in the center of New
York`s historic Arts District. Surrounded today by
internationally-renowned art galleries, museums and schools such as MoMA
and the Art Students League of New York, the neighborhood saw many
renowned artists—whether painting, studying or instructing—including
Childe Hassam, John Sloan, Stuart Davis, Marc Chagall, Georgia O`Keeffe,
George Grosz, Arbit Blatas and so many more.
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