Ian Rosenfeld Fund

Inaugural Recipient Announcement

Miguel Escobar
Selected Recipient of the Ian Rosenfeld Fund
We are truly proud to announce Miguel Escobar as the inaugural recipient of the Ian Rosenfeld Fund, a £7,500 annual award established in memory of our founder Ian Rosenfeld to support an early- to mid-career artist in the spirit of genuine patronage.

The Ian Rosenfeld Fund received over 1,300 applications from artists around the world. The depth, seriousness and ambition of those submissions made the selection process both inspiring and incredibly difficult. Miguel’s work stood out for its conceptual clarity, psychological charge and quiet, resonant reflection on contemporary life.

Importantly, the award requires no artwork in return. It is offered freely, creating space for focus, ambition and long-term development at a pivotal moment.

Born in Colombia in 1990, Escobar has never exhibited in the UK before. His practice moves between past and present, shaped by his training in Buenos Aires and Florence, his time living and studying with Odd Nerdrum in Norway, and his apprenticeship with David Manzur. His psychologically charged paintings stage animals as protagonists within constructed, theatrical environments, intimate and uncanny spaces that subtly mirror contemporary social structures.

His work is held in major museum collections including the Colección Museo del Banco de la República, Colombia; Museo de Arte de Caldas, Colombia; Museo d’Arte Contemporanea MACS Sicilia, Italy; and Museo MEAM Barcelona, Spain.

Miguel was selected by the gallery with the support of an exceptional panel, Marine Tanguy, Péjú Oshin, Alice Black and Araminta Blue. Alongside the financial award, the Fund offers ongoing mentorship and guidance, fostering meaningful dialogue and support beyond the prize itself.

We are very much looking forward to working closely with Miguel and supporting the next chapter of his practice.
The Ian Rosenfeld Fund
£7,500 annual award supporting early to mid-career artists
Gallery Rosenfeld is pleased to announce the launch of the Ian Rosenfeld Fund—a £7,500 annual award supporting an early- to mid-career artist, continuing Ian Rosenfeld’s legacy of championing distinctive voices and nurturing emerging talent; the fund requires no artwork donation or exchange, and is offered in the spirit of patronage, providing not only financial support but an ongoing relationship, guidance, and mentorship.

Since its founding in London in 2011, Gallery Rosenfeld has built a reputation for championing distinctive voices in contemporary art. Ian played a central role in identifying and supporting artists from the outset of their careers, often accompanying them through to museum exhibitions, sold-out solo shows, and international recognition. The fund continues this legacy by providing direct financial support to an artist whose work demonstrates clarity of vision and a commitment to independent thought.

As the gallery enters a new era, the Ian Rosenfeld Fund looks forward—reaffirming Gallery Rosenfeld’s longstanding commitment to supporting artists who shape and expand the possibilities of contemporary practice. Rooted in Ian’s belief in originality, the fund is intended to offer meaningful, practical support at a pivotal moment in an artist’s development, enabling new work, research, and ambition to flourish.
Judging panel

The recipient will be selected annually by a panel of leading art world professionals whose expertise spans curating, institutional strategy, artist management, writing, and artist-led insight:
Marine Tanguy

Founder of MTArt Agency (a Certified B Corporation) and widely recognised for redefining how artists are supported and positioned globally, Marine brings deep expertise in identifying high-potential practices and enabling ambitious, high-visibility opportunities. MTArt Agency has delivered over 300 projects internationally across major institutions, cities and brands, combining a rigorous understanding of artistic practice with a strong public-facing and strategic lens.

Marine’s role on the panel reflects the fund’s forward-looking ambition: to support artists not only in making work, but in building sustainable, high-impact careers.
Péjú Oshin

A British-Nigerian curator, writer and cultural strategist, Péjú is the Founder of Studio Sovereign and a Trustee of Iniva and the Yinka Ilori Foundation. With former roles including Associate Director at Gagosian and Curator at Tate, she brings sharp curatorial insight and a research-led approach to contemporary practice.

Péjú’s perspective is vital to the fund’s purpose: championing artists whose work engages critically with the present, pushes cultural conversations forward, and contributes meaningfully to public discourse.
Alice Black

CEO and Founder of ArtULTRA, an artist management and advisory consultancy supporting emerging and mid-career artists while advising institutions on programming and growth. Formerly Co-Director of the Design Museum, Alice led its award-winning redevelopment in Kensington, recognised as European Museum of the Year (2018). She is a Governor of the London Museum, serves on the Council of the Royal Academy of Arts, and is a member of the British Library’s Advisory Committee.

Alice brings a rare combination of artist advocacy and institutional expertise—ensuring the fund recognises practices with both artistic strength and the potential to develop into significant bodies of work over time.
Araminta Blue

A British artist represented by Gallery Rosenfeld, Araminta was supported by the gallery following her degree show at The Slade, and worked closely with Ian Rosenfeld from the outset of her career. Her practice is rooted in material precision and emotional intelligence, engaging themes of perception, memory, and the psychological charge of form and surface. She is currently working toward her second museum exhibition this year, in Italy.

Araminta contributes a crucial artist perspective to the panel—grounding the fund in lived experience of what meaningful support looks like at key transitional moments in a career, and reflecting Ian’s deep belief in sustained, personal investment in artists.
the ian rosenfeld fund

a £7,500 annual award supporting an early- to mid-career artist, continuing Ian Rosenfeld’s legacy of championing distinctive voices and nurturing emerging talent