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UK Triumphs with 4 out of 5 of the 2009 Praemium Imperiale Laureates

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Written by Alicia Washburn   
Friday, 25 September 2009 04:06

Hiroshi Sugimoto - Hyena-Jackal-Vulture, 1976 - Gelatin silver print - © Hiroshi Sugimoto / Courtesy of Gallery Koyanagi

BERLIN.- For the first time in the history of the Praemium Imperiale Awards, four of the five Laureates, whose names are announced today, are based in a single country - the UK. This is a great tribute to the rich cultural diversity that exists in Britain. This year is also the first year that a photographer, Hiroshi Sugimoto, has been given the Award in the category of Painting – acknowledging photography’s rightful position in the Arts. On October 22nd the Laureates will travel to Japan to attend the Awards Ceremony, presided over by the honorary patron of the Japan Art Association, Prince Hitachi, younger brother of the present Emperor of Japan.

The Laureates for 2009 are:

  • Painting: Hiroshi Sugimoto
  • Sculpture: Richard Long
  • Architecture: Zaha Hadid
  • Music: Alfred Brendel
  • Theatre/Film: Tom Stoppard

Every year, the Japan Art Association selects five new Laureates from countries around the world. Within this year’s Laureates there is great diversity, three of the four coming originally from countries outside the UK: Iraq (Zaha Hadid) and Czechoslovakia (Alfred Brendel and Tom Stoppard). Their individual stories reflect the histories of their countries and of the world in the 20th and 21st Centuries.

However, these Laureates are chosen not for their personal histories but for the impact they have made on the history of their chosen art form. So in that sense this year is, as with previous years, a comprehensive survey of the world’s greatest artists.

Previous UK Laureates are David Hockney, James Stirling, Anthony Caro, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Richard Attenborough, John Gielgud, Peter Brook, Richard Rogers, Tony Cragg, Norman Foster, Bridget Riley and Richard Hamilton – representing the UK’s rich and diverse artistic heritage. Visit the Praemium Imperiale Awards at : http://www.praemiumimperiale.org/eg/jaahome/home.html

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