International Art Prizes | Prestigious International Awards in Arts
Written by Ishita Kashyap
Awards are presented in every area of achievement. Art awards provide a distinguished way to honor artistic talent and to show credibility and a third party validation to the works of young artists. Here’s a look at some prestigious awards in Visual Arts from the world.
1. The Turner Prize
Country: United Kingdom Awarded by: Tate Britain
A Contemporary art award set up in 1984 by a group called the Patrons of New Art, the group was formed to help buy new art for Tate’s collection and to encourage wider interest in contemporary art. The patrons wanted a name associated with great British Art; they chose J.M.W Turner (1775-1851) partly because he wanted to establish a prize for young artists and also because his work was controversial in his own day. Awarded each year to ‘a British artist under fifty for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in the twelve months preceding.’ Widely recognized as one of the most important and prestigious awards for the visual arts in Europe, the Turner Prize has played a significant role in growing public interest in contemporary British Art. Four shortlisted artists present their work at Tate Britain, the artists are nominated for, and judged on, work they exhibited in the previous twelve months. An independent jury that changes annually judges the prize. The most publicized art award in the U.K., it has been controversial since its inception. The artists who have won the award have gone to become enormously successful both, critically and financially.
Indian born artist Anish Kapoor was the winner of the prize in 1991
The exhibition and prize rely on commercial sponsorship; As of 2004 the monetary award was established at £40,000. The winner of the 2014 prize was Duncan Campbell.
2. The Abraaj Group Art Prize
Country: United Arab Emirates Awarded By: The Abraaj Group
Founded in 2008, the aim of the prize is to empower talented artists from the ‘MENSA’ region (Middle East, North Africa and South Asia) with the resources to bring life to aspiring projects, rather than completed works of art. It provides the artist the opportunity to take their practice to a new level and provide a global platform to showcase their works. The artists work with an internationally renowned curator selected by the committee annually. Four artists are shortlisted for the prize and the $100,000 commission goes to one artist. The three shortlisted artists receive a cash prize and are represented in a group exhibition at Art Dubai. Yto Barrada’s work , produced for the Abraaj group will be part of an exhibition at Art Dubai 2015. The exhibition will also feature previous works of the other artists shortlisted- Sarnath Banerjee, Setareh Shahbazi and Mounira Al Solh. Omar Kholeif will curate the exhibiton.
3. The Future Generation Art Prize
Country: International Awarded By: Victor Pinchuk Foundation.
Established in 2009 by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, this is a worldwide contemporary art Prize to discover, recognize and give long-term support to a future generation of artists. The prize stresses on nurturing emerging talent through the commitment of outstanding mentor artists Andreas Gursky, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and Takashi Murakami as members of a celebrated board. All artists up to the age of 35 years are eligible to compete without any restrictions. An international jury awards a main prize of $100,000 to one artist; the award is split in $60,000 cash and $40,000 investment in new work production. $20,000 in special prizes is awarded to up to 5 artists; this is not bound to a financial award but serve to support the further development of the Artist
4. The Prix Pictet
Country: Switzerland Awarded By: Swiss Private Bank Pictet et Cie
The Geneva based private Banque Pictet founded an international award in photography and sustainability in 2008, with the aim to uncover photographs that communicate important messages about global environmental and social issues. Entry is by nomination and each cycle has a specific theme with DISORDER announced as the theme for the sixth cycle. One winner is chosen out of 12 shortlisted nominations. A prize of CHF 100,000 is awarded to the photographer selected by the independent jury. The partners of the Pictet Group award a second part of the award a Commission, (not necessarily out of the shortlisted candidates) in which a nominated photographer is invited to undertake a field trip to a region where Pictet is supporting a sustainability project and creates a portfolio around the project. The chosen pictures travel the world as a part of a major exhibition for a year. The Prize is presented in partnership with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Previous winners include Michael Schmidt, Benoit Aquin and Nadav Kander.
5. The Hugo Boss Prize
Country: The United States Awarded By: The Solomon R.Guggenheim Foundation and funded by Hugo Boss.
The Award honors outstanding achievement in contemporary art, celebrating remarkable artists whose works are the most innovative and influential.It sets no restrictions in terms of age, nationality or medium and is judged by an international panel of museum directors, critics and curators. Critiqued for encouraging the Hollywoodization of the contemporary art world, it nonetheless gains immense international attention for the nominations. The work of the selected artist is presented in a Solo exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum along with $100,000. Sheela Gowda, was one of the five finalists for the year 2014,the winner was Paul Chan.