The 25 Best Galleries In America annually vote on online art submitted from artists around the world.
This year the American Art Awards (www.AmericanArtAwards.com) had winners from 40 countries including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, England, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, UK, USA, and Wales.
In CATEGORY 41, NONMANIPULATED PHOTOGRAPHY - ANIMAL: Galleries awarded 1st Prize to India's Riya Sharma. American Carolyn Quan took 2nd. Lithuania's Ernestas Papinigis scored 3rd and tied for 5th with American Robert Meyers-Lussier, who also took 4th. Completing this category's winners list was Germany's Heinz Baade.
2016 AMERICAN ART AWARDS WINNING ARTISTS FOR CATEGORY 41. NONMANIPULATED PHOTOGRAPHY - ANIMAL:
1ST PLACE: RIYA SHARMA, INDIA, www.RiyaSharmaPhotography.com, "Majestic Elephant" 30 x 40" Photo on HD metal.
2ND PLACE: CAROLYN QUAN, USA, www.CarolynQuan.com, "Going With The Flow" 60 x 20" Original photography and digital collage on metal.
3RD PLACE: ERNESTAS PAPINIGIS, LITHUANIA, www.ernis.co.uk, "Chihuahua Puppy" Digital Photograph, Nikon D2Hs & 35mm f/1.8g.
4TH PLACE: ROBERT MEYERS-LUSSIER, USA, www.rmlphotos.com, "Trail Ridge Road Panorama" 3872 x 2592px Photography.
5TH – TIE: ERNESTAS PAPINIGIS, LITHUANIA, www.ernis.co.uk, "Golden Horse" Digital Photograph, Nikon D2Hs & 50mm f/1.8d.
5TH – TIE: ROBERT MEYERS-LUSSIER, USA, www.rmlphotos.com, "Golden Eagle Profile" 3648 x 5472px Photography.
6TH PLACE: HEINZ BAADE, GERMANY, www.artmajeur.com/heinz-baade, "The Dead Fish, Denmark 1993" Photography.
BIO ON 1ST PLACE WINNER RIYA SHARMA:
Riya Sharma, an Award–Winning Professional Travel Photographe, currently lives and works in Kalol, (N.G) Gujarat, India. She holds a professional press card from the New York Institute of Photography and is an official photographer for their Photo World Magazine. She is a Photography Business Advisor, photography marketing consultant and provides the world's most popular and inspirational photography training.
Strong graphic imagery, vibrant colors, and simple yet calculated compositions define the photographic works of Sharma. With the ability to portray a wide range of subject matter, from expressionistic portraits to spontaneous moments, Riya’s photographs reflect the effects of poverty and social inequality in India. What makes her photos so unique is her inane ability to forge a connection between her subjects and her viewers.
Riya’s main artistic goal is “working toward taking the perfect picture – that combination of technique, style, and impact that still draws people to look at an image years or decades later.” Through her photographs, the viewer sees the truth in humanity. The photographer believes that her photos show the facts of reality that many people do not see every day because they are so busy running around all the time.
“I personally believe a perfect photo consists of the best example of cultural and social moments,” says Sharma. “There will always be more to shoot and better ways to shoot it.”
‘Memories on the wall’ is how I like to describe it.
A graduate of the New York Institute of Photography, Riya Sharma has had her photographs featured in more than 50 Newspaper, Magazine, websites and was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts at the 2016 Asian Awards in London. She is also an official photographer for PhotoWorld Magazine. Riya is Ranked in TOP 25 Photographers as Popular Photographer of 2015 in ViewBug. Riya Sharma is also selected as VIP MEMBER of LUCIE FOUNDATION & IPA, PSA & APA. RIYA SHARMA AS A FIRST INDIAN REPRESENTED COUNTRY INDIA IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES WITH HER PHOTOGRAPHY.& Riya Sharma received OSCAR ACADEMY AWARDS - BEST ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2016
Riya Sharma has being honoured with over 100 awards for her photography and her art. RIYA SHARMA IS OFFICIAL MEMBER OF MORE THAN 70 ASSOCIATION , MAGAZINE, INTERNATIONAL ART AND CULTURAL FEDERATION AND MANY MORE. UPWARDS OF 100+ MAGAZINE, NEWS SITE, DIGITAL WEBSITES FEATURED RIYA SHARMA.
SEE MORE OF RIYA SHARMA'S WORK HERE: www.RiyaSharmaPhotography.com
BELOW ARE THE 25 BEST GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS IN AMERICA, 2016, WHO VOTED ON ALL ONLINE ART SUBMISSIONS:
BEST IN CALIFORNIA -- EXCLUSIVE COLLECTIONS GALLERY.
"... professionalism, reputation, gallery space, red carpet events, trajectory, artist roster and clientele... Beverly Hills location... Laguna Beach location... two San Diego locations...”
BEST IN PENNSYLVANIA -- JAMES A. MICHENER ART MUSEUM.
"... 40,000 square feet... world-class group of paintings... 2,800 objects... attract annually more than 135,000 visitors..."
BEST IN ILLINOIS -- HILLIGOSS GALLERIES.
"20 years... Chicago’s Premier Art Gallery. The two-story 8,500 square foot gallery... original paintings by the world's finest living artists, as well as fine prints by historic and 20th century masters."
BEST IN UTAH -- UTAH MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART.
"...epitome of a contemporary museum... an award-winning aesthetic force and community leader since it was established 85 years ago... four-time recipient of funding from the Andy Warhol Foundation..."
BEST IN IOWA -- MOBERG GALLERY.
"... exceptional eye for contemporary masterpieces... procured work for museums, corporate collections, private collections... sets the standard for modern art in the Midwest."
BEST IN RHODE ISLAND -- RISD MUSEUM.
"140 years... 100,000 objects... Impressionist paintings, 20th- and 21st-century design, Gorham silver, 12th-century Buddha... Cézanne, Degas, Matisse, Manet, Picasso, Rothko, Sargent, Turner, van Gogh, Warhol..."
BEST IN COLORADO -- COLORADO SPRINGS FINE ART CENTER.
"132,000 sq. ft... one of the only multi-discipline arts institutions... For nearly 100 years, the top cultural attraction of the Pikes Peak region... world’s finest art... "
BEST IN SOUTH DAKOTA -- SOUTH DAKOTA ART MUSEUM.
"Since 1970... artistic legacy of South Dakota in all its diversity. Harvey Dunn, Native American art, Marghab Linens... 7,000 objects in its collection..."
BEST IN NEBRASKA -- KIECHEL FINE ART.
"...few have the roster and esteem as Keichel... discerning eye... three story four gallery showplace... many of the top Midwestern Contemporary artists... "
BEST IN LOUISIANA -- NEWCOMB ART MUSEUM.
"... founded in 1886... pays tribute to its heritage through shows that recognize the contributions of women to the fields of art and design...."
BEST IN SOUTH CAROLINA -- MARY MARTIN GALLERY OF FINE ART.
"...museum quality art ... number one tourist destination in America... on par with Beverly Hill’s Rodeo Drive and NY’s Fifth Avenue..."
BEST IN KENTUCKY -- E&S GALLERY.
"... professionalism, reputation, gallery space, exhibitions, artist roster and clientele ... 11,000 square foot gallery... African American art with an unmatched selection of artists, medium, subject matter, and genres... "
BEST IN INDIANA -- GRUNWALD GALLERY OF ART.
"... thirty exhibits annually... collaborate with scientists and scholars to produce exhibits that interpret visual art in a broader scientific or humanities context... "
BEST IN HAWAII -- LIK LAHAINA, LIKE WAIKIKI.
"Peter Lik has 13 exceptional gallery locations throughout the word and is the most successful photographer in the world... sold upwards of $500 million... Lik’s works make up four of the top 20 most expensive photographs ever sold."
BEST IN NEVADA -- NEVADA MUSEUM OF ART.
"...four-story structure... 2,500 works of 19th through 21st-century art... inspiring dialogue about the impact of human activity on natural environments..."
BEST IN NEW JERSEY -- EVALYN DUNN GALLERY.
"It is very rare to find a gallery so successful that it is approaching it’s 60th year... also features the finest 20th Century American and European art..."
BEST IN FLORIDA -- ART FUSION GALLERIES.
"8,000 square foot... in the heart of Miami’s Wynwood Art District... preeminent gallery in Miami for integrating the best of Emerging to Mid-Career Contemporary artists... represents over 1,000... "
BEST IN MINNESOTA -- DOUBLETAKE GALLERY.
"...enormous international Internet presence, with millions of hits... LeRoy Neiman, Salvador Dali, Peter Max, Frederick Hart, Erte, Norman Rockwell... fine art consignment and brokerage service... "
BEST IN IDAHO -- PRICHARD ART GALLERY.
"...premier venue for the state of Idaho... critically engaged, forward thinking arts space... freedom-oriented... encourages experimentation... emerging as well as established artists... "
BEST IN OKLAHOMA -- OKLAHOMA CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER.
"...Nonprofit organization... encourages artistic expression... Oklahoma’s top artists... $26 million capital campaign... spectacular new facility just south of downtown OK..."
BEST IN NEW MEXICO -- WILDER NIGHTINGALE GALLERY.
"22 years... eclectic works ranging from contemporary abstracts to traditional Taos landscapes... Leading artist such as BJ Briner, Tom Noble, Rory Wagner, Margaret Nes and Stephen Day..."
BEST IN MICHIGAN -- ART LEADERS GALLERY.
"10,000 square foot show room... over 24 years they have earned an impeccable reputation and are one of the leading residential and corporate art dealers in the state."
BEST IN OREGON -- BRONZE COAST GALLERY.
"24th year... one of the Oregon Coast's premiere fine art galleries... specializing in limited edition bronze sculpture... popular tourist attraction... award-winning regional, national and international artists..."
BEST IN WASHINGTON -- BRICK WALL PHOTOGRAPHIC GALLERY.
""...only Spokane gallery dedicated entirely to photography... some of the finest photography in America... nature, landscapes, as well as contemporary compositions by students and educators..."
BEST IN MAINE -- FARNSWORTH ART MUSEUM.
"20,000 square feet... 15,000 works. For nearly seventy years, they have exhibited a nationally recognized collection of art from America’s greatest artists..."
ARTISTS CAN ENTER FOR 2017 HERE: www.AmericanArtAwards.com
