World’s Best Celebrity Portraitists: SCHMITT, RUM, CHASOV, FILICHKIN, TAKACHE, LEIMKUELLER & AIYEDE / 2026 WORLD ART AWARDS

Artists from over 50 countries competed in the 2026 WORLD ART AWARDS where 20 of the most revered galleries in the world were sent online images to score in drawing, painting, sculpture, digital and photography. The 300+ winning works, 1st to 6th Place (and ties) in all 50 categories, will be revealed in this column one category at a time, and also an upcoming movie.

[embed]Enter Your Art | World Art Awards & American Art Awards ANNUAL ONLINE COMPETITION for painters, photographers, sculptors and digital artists, judged by 25 galleries.americanartawards.com

The WINNERS in CATEGORY 31. PORTRAIT OF SOMEONE FAMOUS represent GERMANY, ITALY, RUSSIA, USA, LEBANON & NIGERIA.

BIO OF 1ST PLACE WINNER:

Silvia Schmitt is a photorealism artist and illustrator based near Frankfurt, Germany. She is the founder of Topenga, an international art brand recognized for iconic portraits and refined ink work. Her drawings have been exhibited across Europe and collected by figures such as Arnold Schwarzenegger. Currently, Silvia is developing a series of fine art portraits of cultural icons, blending timeless elegance with contemporary editorial aesthetics. https://www.topenga-art.com

WINNER WEBSITES AND CONTACTS: CATEGORY 31. PORTRAIT OF SOMEONE FAMOUS

1ST PLACE SILVIA SCHMITT GERMANY https://www.topenga-art.com “Back To The Future” 29.7x42cm Pencil on board.

2ND PLACE — TIE DANIELA RUM ITALIA http://www.danielarum.com/ “Marilyn Manson” 50x50cm Charcoal on paper.

2ND PLACE — TIE YOURI CHASOV RUSSIA chasoffart@gmail.com “Claude Monet’s Garden” 29.5x20.5cm Digital painting on paper.

3RD PLACE — TIE TANYA FILICHKIN USA https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-tanya-filichkin.html “Harry Styles. Painted By Songs” 16x20” Acrylic on canvas.

3RD PLACE — TIE TANYA FILICHKIN USA https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-tanya-filichkin.html “Portrait of David Bowie” 20x20” Acrylic on canvas.

4TH PLACE — TIE HICHAM TAKACHE LEBANON www.facebook.com/hicham.takache “Imam Mousa Al-Sader” 20x28” Oil on canvas.

4TH PLACE — TIE TATIANA LEIMKUELLER USA https://tilda.cc/projects/?projectid=6472123 “Guernica.Picasso” Digital.

5TH PLACE — TIE TATIANA LEIMKUELLER USA https://tilda.cc/projects/?projectid=6472123 “Donald And Vladimir” Photos, digital.

5TH PLACE — TIE TATIANA LEIMKUELLER USA https://tilda.cc/projects/?projectid=6472123 “Scarlett Johansson” Ink, acrylic, digital.

6TH PLACE — TIE TATIANA LEIMKUELLER USA https://tilda.cc/projects/?projectid=6472123 “Bill Gates II” Acrylic, pastel, digital.

6TH PLACE — TIE MICHAEL TANSI AIYEDE NIGERIA tansyaiyede@gmail.com “Elegance In Silence” 12x15” Charcoal, graphite.

Art collectors can see hundreds of winning images and contact info to all 50 CATEGORIES of winning artworks:

https://www.americanartawards.com/2026-winning-art-world-art-awards/

The World Art Awards 20 Best Galleries & Museums for 2026 who were asked to score art: (in alphabetical order by country):

20 BEST INTERNATIONAL GALLERIES

BEST IN AUSTRALIA: Canberra Glassworks

BEST IN AUSTRIA: CITYgalleryVIENNA

BEST IN BOLIVIA: Galerias de Arte Roca Gravato

BEST IN BULGARIA: Largo Art Gallery

BEST IN COLUMBIA Beatriz Esguerra Arte

BEST IN CYPRUS: Lumière Contemporary Art Gallery

BEST IN DENMARK: Copenhagen Contemporary

BEST IN ENGLAND: Eclectic Gallery

BEST IN INDIA The Lexicon Art

BEST IN ISRAEL: Zemack Contemporary Art

BEST IN MALAYSIA & HONG KONG: Gallery des Artistes or Gallery Tropicana

BEST IN MEXICO: Galería Corsica

BEST IN MOROCCO: Comptoir des Mines Galerie

BEST IN NETHERLANDS: VisserArtGallery

BEST IN TAIWAN: 1839 Contemporary Gallery

BEST IN UK: Miart Gallery London

BEST IN USA / Arizona: Exposures International Gallery Of Fine Art

BEST IN USA / Florida: MAC Art Galleries

BEST IN USA / TX San Antonio: Thornwood Gallery

BEST IN USA / UTAH: Ogden Contemporary Arts

[embed]Enter Your Art | World Art Awards & American Art Awards ANNUAL ONLINE COMPETITION for painters, photographers, sculptors and digital artists, judged by 25 galleries.www.americanartawards.com