Paul Mescal sits for Portrait Artist of the Year

The Normal People star is among a host of celebrities posing for portraits for the Sky Arts series  
Sky Arts
Kimberley Bond24 September 2020

Paul Mescal will be returning to our screens – only this time, fans will be able to see him in a brand new light.

The 24-year-old, who rose to fame during lockdown as Connell in BBC Three’s hit Normal People, will feature as a subject for Portrait Artist of the Year.

The Sky Arts show, now in its 12th series, sees a number of professional and amateur artists go head to head to produce a portrait of one of three famous sitters.

After a number of rounds, where contestants are whittled down by the judges' critique, the winner receives a commission to paint a celebrity and £10,000 in cash.

Paul Mescal will join a number of celebrities posing for the Sky Arts programme
PA

This year sees a total of 24 actors, musicians, writers and TV personalities pose for portraits.

As well as Mescal, actor James Nesbitt, broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald, First Dates star Fred Sirieix, TV presenters Melanie Sykes and Katie Piper will pose for portraits.

BBC'S Normal People

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The semi-final this year will see the hopefuls go on to paint Bernardine Evaristo, the Booker Prize-winning author whose recent work includes the hugely popular Girl, Woman, Other.

The winner will have the opportunity to paint the director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Carlos Acosta, with the portrait to be exhibited at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

Previous winners have gone on to paint Graham Norton, Kim Cattrall, Tom Jones and Nile Rogers.

Programme-makers said the series, hosted by Stephen Mangan, was recorded with strict safety protocols at Battersea Arts Centre in London.

The new series begins on Sky Arts on Wednesday October 14.

Additional reporting from PA