2021 RCB Portrait Prize Judges

Pranapda Chirathivat

“What I love about portrait painting is that it blends both the attitude of the subject and the artists together.”

Pranapda, or Pam to her friends, a graduate of Brown University and UCLA, is an entrepreneur with a vast repertoire of responsibilities. With a background in interior design, Pam is one of Thailand’s leading fashion brand distributors. Her experience of being a woman executive in the male-oriented world of the automobile industry led her to establish ‘Dragonfly360’, a platform that promotes gender equality across Asia.

Anthony Tyler

“My parents took me to see the Mona Lisa, I took my children to see the Mona Lisa and I hope one day my children will take their children to see the Mona Lisa”

Anthony is no stranger to the world of luxury hotels, having held senior positions at leading properties across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North and Central America, gaining extensive experience in operations and management. British, but born and raised in Switzerland, Anthony is General Manager of the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok and represents Mandarin Oriental Group on the board of Chaophaya Development Corporation.

ML Kathathong Thongyai

“Portraiture as a creative art is an important part of the creative economy and is integral to a prosperous and diverse society.”

Kathathong is an Assistant Director General at the Department of International Trade Promotion, Ministry of Commerce. The dashing former captain of the national cricket team has also done modelling stints. Larn to his friends, he has been instrumental in promoting the creative economy in Thailand to include the arts, and has secured a firm footing for the Thai creative industry in international design fairs such as Maison&Objet in Paris and Salone del Mobile in Milan.

Naphalai Areesorn

“A good portrait tells of a person’s life journey through the image on the canvas.”

Naphalai has had a unique career in journalism, public relations, marketing, hospitality and wellness. She put Chiva-Som Health Resort in Hua Hin on the map internationally. Then, over the past 30 years, has built Thailand Tatler magazine into one of the country’s top English language publications, respected for its coverage of luxury lifestyle trends.

Tom Van Blarcom

“Portraits that speak to me, that grab me, are those that find the artist has been able to get a hold of a certain clear kernel of who the subject really is, in a manner that is striking and true.”

Tom has been actively involved in communications, management consulting and development for over 35 years.  Tom is an insatiable follower and collector of art and has a deep insight into Thailand’s creative landscape. Tom’s public relations firm, TQPR,  is one the top independent agencies in Southeast Asia, creating campaigns for accounts as diverse as Nissan, Nok Air, JP Morgan Chase, Airbus, Walt Disney, Mars Inc., Expedia, and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul

“Portrait painting is a window to the soul of the person through interpretation of the artist.”

Kobkarn serves as chairperson of the board of Kasikornbank. Also the chairperson of Toshiba Thailand, Kobkarn was minister of tourism and sports in the first Prayut cabinet. With a background in fine arts and architecture, she is active in the promotion of art and education. She received the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World Award, and chaired the Thai host committee of the Global Summit of Women 2020.

Yuthachai Charanachitta

“Portraiture has withstood the test of time, and is still relevant despite the invention of cameras and smartphones. It is indeed a privilege and blessing that we can appreciate this art form today and into the future”

As Group CEO of Italthai, Yuthachai or Top presides over a business empire spanning construction and construction equipment, real estate, hospitality and lifestyle. The son of the late Adisorn and Nijaporn and grandson of company co-founder Dr Chaijudh Karnasuta. Top studied economics in the USA and has a keen life-long interest in fine arts.