Basic Instinct star Sharon Stone keeps making waves—not for her acting as such, but for her art. The movie icon is among the nominees at this year’s Women in Art prize, now in its eighth year and described as the “only non-profit award dedicated exclusively to women artists”. Stone took up painting—in an almost feverish way—during Covid-19 lockdowns and had her first solo gallery exhibition at Allouche Gallery in Los Angeles in 2023.
Other finalists—25 in total—competing for the 22 awards (yes, 22) include the painter Bianca Raffaella, who is registered blind, and Jenny Lewis who addresses issues around menopause. Crucially, the awards will also include The Paula Rego Painting prize created in partnership with the artist’s estate, which “pays tribute to the [late Portuguese] pioneering artist’s enduring influence on women in the arts”.
The winners of the Women in Art Prize 2025 will be unveiled in an awards ceremony at the British Library on 17 September hosted by the historian Amanda Foreman. The Women in Art Prize exhibition will go on show at York Street Gallery, London (16-24 September). The prize was formerly known as the Holly Bush Painting Prize; this year’s esteemed judges include the Eye of the Collector founder Nazy Vassegh and the sculptor Glynis Owen.