Work of Art: The Next Great Artist is an American reality competition television series produced by Pretty Matches Productions and Magical Elves Productions in which up-and-coming artists compete for a solo exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum and a cash prize of $100,000.
The series aired in the USA on Bravo from 9 June, 2010 to 21 December, 2011. There are 20 hour-long episodes in two seasons.
Work of Art: The Next Great Artist premiered in South Africa on DStv's Vuzu channel on Monday 19 December 2011, at 19h30. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 2 premiered on Vuzu on Wednesday 24 October 2012, at 21h30. New episodes broadcast from Mondays to Wednesdays at the same time. There are 10 episodes in the second and final season.
Season 1
Bravo's latest stroke on the reality canvas brings Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Sarah Jessica Parker and her production company, Pretty Matches, together with the Emmy-nominated Magical Elves (Top Chef, Project Runway) and Eli Holzman, to produce Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, an hour long creative competition series among contemporary artists.
Work of Art: The Next Great Artist will bring together 14 aspiring artists to compete for a solo show at the prestigious Brooklyn Museum and a generous cash prize.
Hosting this colourful new series is art enthusiast China Chow. She serves on the judging panel alongside art luminaries Bill Powers, a New York Gallery owner and literary art contributor, Jerry Saltz, current art critic for New York Magazine, and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, esteemed curator and owner of Salon94 gallery.
World-renowned art auctioneer Simon de Pury adds his voice of experience as a mentor to the contestants.
In each episode, contestants are faced with the challenge of creating unique pieces in a variety of mediums such as painting, sculpture, photography, collage and industrial design.
The weekly assignments are exciting, original and challenge the artists to push the limits of their technical skills and creative boundaries.
Completed works of art are appraised by the panel of top art world figures alongside a new celebrated guest judge every week.
Through a gallery showing at the end of each challenge, these industry select dictate which artists have successfully mastered the subject matter and creation of their piece, as well as whose concept leaves the greatest impact.
Season 2
Bravo's Work of Art: The Next Great Artist is a creative competition series that seeks to discover new talent and shed light on the artistic process the typically occurs behind closed doors.
Assembled in New York City under the watchful eye of art world elites, 14 up-and-coming artists are ready to make their mark on the industry and battle it out for a solo show at the Brooklyn Museum and a cash prize of $100,000.
China Chow, host and judge, lends her artistic grace to the second season of Bravo's cutting-edge competition that brings fine art dialogue to the forefront of pop culture.
Returning to the judging panel is Bill Powers, a New York Gallery owner and literary art contributor, as well as Jerry Saltz, senior art critic for New York Magazine.
World-renowned art auctioneer Simon de Pury adds his voice of expertise as a mentor to the contestants.
This season the competition has grown fierce, with artists who have studied under Marilyn Mintner, graduated top of their class at Yale, and even had their work sold by Simon de Pury.
The challenges range from inventive street art to the use of Parkour, a discipline where participants overcome obstacles using only their bodies to move from point A to point B in the most creative way possible, as inspiration.
Each week, the contestants are tasked to create an original artwork in the medium of their choice, including, but not limited to, painting, sculpture, photography, collage, industrial design and performance art.
Joining the expert panel each week are professional artists known for challenging the mold in the constantly evolving art world. Guest judges include Adam McEwen, Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, KAWS and Mary Ellen Mark.
Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, is produced by Pretty Matches and Magical Elves for Bravo. Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alison Benson and Eli Holzman serve as executive producers.
Seasons
Series exclusive to Vuzu
Season 1 (10 episodes)
Premiere: 19 December 2011 | Finale: 20 February 2012 | Mondays, 19h30
Season 2 (10 episodes)
Premiere: 24 October 2012 | Finale: 14 November 2012 | Mon-Wed, 21h30