Press Releases

2009 Catlin Art Prize Awarded to Sarah Lederman

18 May 2009

LONDON – Sarah Lederman, a recent graduate of Chelsea College of Art and Design, was awarded the 2009 Catlin Art Prize at a 19 May ceremony in London.

The Catlin Art Prize, sponsored by Catlin Group Limited (‘CGL’; London Stock Exchange), the international specialty property/casualty insurer and reinsurer, is an annual competition showcasing the work of recent graduates of UK art schools.  The competition, which is now in its third year, is unique by providing the artists with time following graduation to produce collections of work, rather than judging the aspiring artists on single efforts.

The Catlin Syndicate at Lloyd’s is one of the largest specie underwriters in the London insurance market, both by premium volume and by individual risk capacity.  Catlin’s fine art clients range from private collectors to large corporations, galleries and museums.

Sarah Lederman’s work is an exploration into self, fantasy and desires.  Her paintings are influenced by her childhood fantasies; fairy tales, castles and the loss of innocence.  Much of her work focuses on the dichotomy between fantasies and genuine desires.

A jury of art experts – including Justin Hammond, the curator of the Catlin Art Prize; collector Robert Devereux; artist Toby Ziegler; and Nicholas Underwood, a critic and editor of Galleries magazine – selected Sarah Lederman’s collection of paintings  for the £3,000 prize from a short list of six artists.  The other finalists were:

Stephen Catlin, chief executive of Catlin Group Limited, said:

“We are proud to be the sponsor of the Catlin Art Prize, which recognises the excellent work of young artists in the UK.  As a leading insurer of all types of art, we believe that it is very important to encourage young artists at the outset of their careers.  We congratulate Sarah and the other finalists on their talent and the high quality of their work.”

Nicholas Usherwood, on behalf of the judging panel, said:

 

“The judges greatly admired the sense of commitment and thoughtfulness displayed by all the young artists in the show. We selected Sarah Lederman, finally, for the quiet and intensely personal integrity of her paintings and the sense of the journey long undertaken that will continue to lead her in interesting directions.”

 

The entries submitted by all six finalists for the 2009 Catlin Art Prize will be on exhibition through Sunday 24 May at Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3PQ.  For more information see www.catlinartprize.com.

 

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For more information contact:

Media Relations:    
James Burcke,
Head of Communications, London		 Tel:
Mobile :
E-mail:		 +44 (0)20 7458 5710
+44 (0)7958 767 738
james.burcke@catlin.com
     
Liz Morley, Maitland

Tel:
E-mail:

 +44 (0)20 7379 5151
emorley@maitland.co.uk
   
Investor Relations:
William Spurgin,
Head of Investor Relations, London

Tel:
Mobile :
E-mail:

 +44 (0)20 7458 5726
+44 (0)7710 314 365
william.spurgin@catlin.com
Notes to editors

 

1.   Catlin Group Limited, headquartered in Bermuda , is an international specialist property/casualty insurer and reinsurer writing more than 30 classes of business worldwide through four underwriting platforms and an international network of offices. Catlin shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: CGL). Gross premiums written in 2008 exceeded US$3.4 billion. More information can be found at www.catlin.com.
2.  

 Catlin's four underwriting platforms are:

  • The Catlin Syndicate at Lloyd's of London (Syndicate 2003) is a recognised leader of numerous classes of specialty insurance and reinsurance. The Catlin Syndicate was the largest at Lloyd's in 2008 based on fross premiums written of US$2.4 billion. Catlin also operates a life syndicate at Lloyd's (Syndicate 3002).
  • Catlin Bermuda (Catlin Insurance Company Ltd.), which is a leading participant in the Bermuda market, underwriting a diversified portfolio of property treaty, casualty treaty, political risk and terrorism, and structured risk coverages. A Guernsey Branch of Catlin Bermuda underwrites life coverages.
  • Catlin UK (Catlin Insurance Company (UK) Ltd.), which specialises in underwriting commercial non-life insurance for UK clients through a network of regional offices. In addition, Catlin UK underwrites many other classes of commercial insurance.

  • Catlin US, which encompasses Catlin's operations based in the United States. Catlin US underwrites a wide variety of specialty property/casualty insurance and reinsurance products from a network of offices throughout the United States. 

3.  

Catlin's international network of offices allows the Group to diversify further its risk portfolio and to work more closely with local policyholders and brokers. Besides its offices in the UK, US and Bermuda, Catlin operates offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Guernsey, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Signapore, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

 4.   Catlin Group Limited is the title sponsor of the Catlin Arctic Survey, a major scientific expedition to measure the thickness and density of the permanent ice surrounding the North Pole.  The project’s aim is to help scientists determine, with a much greater degree of accuracy, when this ice could disappear as a result of global warming.  More information is available at www.catlinarcticsurvey.com.