A BURNLEY-born artist has won one of art’s most prestigious prizes for his work Spectrum Jesus.

Keith Coventry took the £25,000 John Moores Painting Prize, described as the ‘Oscar of the art world’.

He follows the likes of David Hockney who have previously won the award.

Spectrum Jesus, which triumphed over 3,000 other entries, has been acquired by Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery, where it will go on permanent display.

Reyahn King, a galleries director, said: “Spectrum Jesus is a fascinating painting by an artist of intellectual depth.”

Mr Coventry left East Lancashire in the late 1970s to attend the former Brighton Polytechnic and Chelsea School of Art.

He said: “I thought it would be an unusual thing to do to take a religious image and turn it into a large installation piece.”

Judges were impressed by the ‘ambiguity and contradictions’ of the work, which is based on the Han van Meegeren’s forgeries of 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer.

One of the judges, Sir Norman Rosenthal, said: “Spectrum Jesus explores both the moral and religious aspects of iconography.

“The fact that the painting is difficult to see is intentional.

“The reflections on the glass allow the work to be absorbed by the viewer.”