BRAVO UNVEILS NEWEST COMPETITION MASTERPIECE "WORK OF ART: THE NEXT GREAT ARTIST"

Series Premieres Wednesday, June 9 At 11 PM ET/PT

NEW YORK - April 8, 2010 -Bravo paints the creative competition landscape with "Work of Art: The Next Great Artist" premiering Wednesday, June 9 at 11 p.m. ET/PT. The exiting new series is the creative synergy between the Emmy-nominated producers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz from the Magical Elves ("Top Chef," "Top Chef Masters") and Sarah Jessica Parker's production company, Pretty Matches, along with producers Alison Benson and Eli Holzman.

"Work of Art: The Next Great Artist" assembles fourteen of the art worlds most talented, up-and-coming artists in New York where they will compete for a solo show at the prestigious Brooklyn Museum and a cash prize of $100,000.

Bringing fine art dialogue to the forefront of pop culture is host China Chow, who will serve on the judging panel alongside three art luminaries - Bill Powers, a New York Gallery owner and literary art contributor; Jerry Saltz, the senior art critic for New York Magazine; and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, esteemed curator and owner of Salon94 gallery in New York City. World-renowned art auctioneer Simon de Pury adds his voice of expertise as a mentor to the contestants.

In each episode, contestants are faced with the challenge of creating unique pieces in a variety of mediums such as painting, sculpture, photography, collage and industrial design. Whether they are using a trash heap as their canvas or creating original cover art for a classic novel, the weekly assignments challenge the artists' to push the limits of their technical skills and creative boundaries.

Joining the expert panel each week are inspiring, professional artists known for crossing mediums and breaking barriers in the ever-evolving art world. Guest judges include renowned mix-media artist, Jon Kessler, provocative photographer Andres Serrano and hyper-realistic painter Richard Phillips. With a gallery showing at the end of each challenge, these industry elite dictate which artists have successfully mastered the subject matter and creation of their piece, as well as whose concept leaves the greatest impact. For a sneak peek of "Work of Art: The Next Great Artist" go to: http://www.bravotv.com/work-of-art/videos/the-next-great-artist

Following are the 14 Artists competing on the series:

. Abdi - 23, Hometown: Baltimore, Md.
. Amanda - 35, Hometown: Chicago, Ill.
. Erik - 31, Hometown: Homer Glen, Ill.
. Jaclyn - 26, Hometown: Miami, Fla.
. Jaime Lynn - 25, Hometown: Lawton, Okla.
. John - 40, Hometown: Dekalb Ill.
. Judith - 62, Hometown: Albany, N.Y.
. Mark - 32, Hometown: Santa Maria, Calif.
. Miles - 23, Hometown: Minneapolis, Minn.
. Nao - 46, Hometown: San Joaquin, Calif.
. Nicole - 25, Hometown: New York, N.Y.
. Ryan - 27, Hometown: Libertyville, Ill.
. Trong - 38, Hometown: Saigon, Vietnam
. Peregrine - 33, Hometown: San Francisco, Calif.

"Work of Art: The Next Great Artist," is produced by Pretty Matches and Magical Elves for Bravo. Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alison Benson and Eli Holzman serve as executive producers.

Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been an NBC Universal cable network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BravoPR.