天美传媒

Patrick Byrnes Named Winner of the 2025 Alma Schapiro Prize

Patrick will participate in a three-month Classical Design Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome

The Paris-based artist Patrick Byrnes, has been selected as the winner of the 天美传媒 & Art’s (ICAA) 2025 Almo Schapiro Prize, and will participate in a three-month Classical Design Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome in the spring of 2026.

Patrick was born in Busan, South Korea in 1984 and raised in La Grange, Illinois. He earned an undergraduate degree in Art History and English from the University of St Andrews in 2006, then began his artistic training at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and The Florence Academy of Art. From 2010 to 2014 Patrick studied at Grand Central Atelier in New York. Since 2017 he has been based in Paris, France, and has travelled extensively within Europe and the US, leading drawing and painting workshops.

Patrick’s work has been exhibited in Massachusetts, New York, and Paris. Patrick's immersion in the methodology, philosophy, and traditions of the classical atelier continues to inform his studio practice, while a determination to evince the beauty and vulnerability of his subjects provides the inspiration for his work.

During the three month fellowship at the American Academy in Rome, Patrick plans to focus on four lines of artistic inquiry: detailed drawings after sculpture, plein air oil sketches, compositional studies inspired by Renaissance and Baroque paintings, and studio portrait and figure sessions with live models. At the Academy, he plans on building a catalogue of poses and gestures from Rome’s great trove of artworks, and creating new images inspired by these timeless forms.

Patrick reflected, “the Alma Schapiro Prize is a tremendous honor— one that I receive with a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity to advance my artistic practice against the rich backdrop of Rome’s abundant inspirations.”

Tags: alma schapiro prize, awards