On Thursday evening, Håvard Løvnes was finally able to release the secret he has carried for half a year: he is the winner of the Portrait Championship 2023. But it was not a given that it was he who was going to walk away with the victory. – Kept pissing me off In the spring of 2023, filming for the series was in full swing, but without Løvnes. He had submitted an application, but was not one of the artists selected. It was only when another participant withdrew that he received a phone call asking if he could take part. – I was about to piss myself when they called, he says. A week later, a slightly nervous Løvnes was sent to Bergen where he had to paint the Camel in four hours. His painting advanced him to the semi-finals. Håvard Løvnes painted the Camel in the Portrait Championship. Photo: news/Nordisk Banijay / Tobias Eidsaa Borresen – The camel was a fantastically nice guy, and Trude Drevland filled the room with incredibly delicious energy. The struggle for concentration Løvnes has always been open that he has ADHD. For most people, it is challenging to spend a short time on a portrait painting, but if you have a restlessness in your body, four hours is close to the limit of what you can concentrate on. Håvard Løvnes in a concentrated moment. Photo: Nordisk Banijay/news / Tobias Eidsaa Borresen – It can be a struggle to work for the painting. The mind cries out “where is my reward? Don’t you want a cup of coffee now? Aren’t you going to have a break now?” You have to be very structured. The drama the audience didn’t get to see His painting of Abid Raja in the semi-final took him to the final. When Linn Skåber sat in the chair as a model in the final, however, it became a little more challenging than Løvnes had imagined. Not because Skåber was difficult to deal with. Løvnes praises her as a perfect model. The resistance lay within himself. Linn Skåber received a lot of praise and was called the perfect model by the artists in the final of the Portrait Championship. Two teddy bears sent by her daughter were good support for Håvard Løvnes in the final. – I ran and painted Linn Skåber, and it went very well. And then I got to a point where I thought that now I don’t dare anymore. He froze completely. Løvnes explains that he has a golden rule that says you should never start thinking about the end product when painting, but to focus on the process. However, in a final where you only have four hours at your disposal, that was easier said than done. – But it’s the same for everyone, so it was an incredibly exciting way to try it out. Then you see what you have in you. Løvnes remained firm, and it took some time before he got on. – It was a difficult process at the end. Håvard Løvnes painted Linn Skåber in the final of the Portrait Championship. The first one he painted was the Camel. A picture that took Løvnes to the semi-final. In the semi-final, Løvnes painted Abid Raja, a picture that gave him a place in the final. The session where Løvnes stiffened in front of the screen, however, was not caught by any of the TV viewers, as it was not included in the final programme. Nor did he tell anyone along the way. – I think I was probably quite aware that I had to keep my spirits up the whole way, and that’s why I didn’t say anything about the horror that crept up along the way. But when presenter Mikkel Niva read out that it was Håvard Løvnes who had won the Portrait Championship 2023, the problems from the final were forgotten. The moment when Håvard Løvnes was named the winner of the Portrait Championship. Photo: Nordisk banijay/news / Tobias Eidsaa Borresen The recent winner will be a busy man in the future, with exhibitions both in Trondheim and Oslo. He will also be there when the participants in the Portrait Championship organize a separate exhibition at the end of October. – For me, this is a great opportunity for people to discover my art. The portrait championship premiered on 14 September on news TV and on NRK1 The concept originates from England, where it has been made over 10 seasons. A Danish edition has also been produced. In the Norwegian version, 24 artists competed to create the best portrait of a famous person. Eleven well-known profiles lined up as models Programmer: Mikkel Niva Judges: Mona Pahle Bjerke, Silje Sigurdsen and Lars Elling Produced by NORDISK BANIJAY / news
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Håvard Løvnes won the Portrait Championship, but wasn’t really supposed to be there – news Culture and entertainment
