Chloe Barnes wins Portrait Artist of the Year 2025

Yesterday, Portrait Artist of the Year programme revealed that Chloe Barnes won the Final of Series 12 of Portrait Artist of the Year.

Chloe Barnes and her monoprint of Brian Cox in the Final

I’m splitting my comments about PAOTY Series 12 and the two most recent programmes into three separate posts:

• Today – a review about the Final and the final and commission paintings produced for the Final by the artist 
• Sunday 7th December: the Winner’s Programme and the Commission
• Monday 8th December: – a review of the PAOTY series and approach taken this year, and a summary of why the Judges , rather than the programme, continue to annoy so very many viewers and whether the competition is really a competition.

This review covers:

• The Final: Artists, Sitter and Set
• The Portrait Paintings for the Final
• The Judges’ Perspective
• The Final Portraits – and my comments
• Why Chloe Barnes won.

The Final

The Artists working in the Final – watched by the audience (left to right) Lauren, Katie and Chloe

The audience for many of the episodes was largely female and middle aged to older; plus very proud parents and a smattering of young people who seemed to be associated with individual artists. I think this probably reflects the audience for the programme too.

They are VERY well behaved – as you have to be when filming is taking place. I highly recommend those that want to, to apply to watch the heats next year – and you’ll learn a lot more about this competition is really like!

The Artists

Katie Jones, Lauren Ross and Chloe Barnes sat on the steps outside Battersea Arts centre

In order of the heat they appeared in, they are

• Episode 3: Katie Jones (Instagram) – A community arts tutor who lives and works in Somerset and has a studio on the Mendip Hills.
• Episode 4: Chloe Barnes (Instagram) – a printmaker with a first class honours degree in Illustration and an MA (Distinction) in Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking. She works as a Gallery Production and Studio Manager and lives in Peckham in London. 
• Episode 5: Lauren Ross (Instagram) – an art tutor and painter from Edinburgh. 

You can read more about them in The PAOTY 2025 Semi Finalists + their Exhibition!

The Sitter and the Setup

The Sitter was Brian Cox, the ‘media mogul’ star of “Succession”who is 79, still active and still acting to great acclaim.

There was no repeat of the craziness of last year when, with absolutely no notice, the contestants suddenly found themselves painting two sitters – with an extra half hour for the challenge!

Instead we had a stripped back set and one sitter this year.

• The Set used a comfortable burnt burnt orange armchair. 

“That armchair is doing a lot of work” Kathleen Soriano

• The cloth hanging at the back was Jute which is very much associated with Brian’s home town of Dundee and his ancestors where it has been produced for very many years
• The jute and the armchair, both combined to create a very warm set.

The one benefit for the artists is that were rather nearer the sitter in the Final than they were during the semi final.

The Start: The sitter – Brian Cox – and the setup for the three artists and how close the cameras are over every artist’s shoulder

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