Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate Winner, Ricardo Legorreta Architect Prize News

Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate 2011

Japan Art Association Award 2011 Winner : architect Ricardo Legorreta

11 Jul 2011

Ricardo Legorreta wins Praemium Imperiale

ARCHITECT RICARDO LEGORRETA ANNOUNCED AMONGST WINNERS OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST ARTS PRIZE

Ricardo Legorreta was today honoured along with four other internationally-acclaimed artists as recipients of the 2011 Praemium Imperiale, one of the world’s most prestigious arts prizes.

Ricardo Legorreta architect:

photograph of Ricardo Legorreta from B&Q

Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate in 2011

The 2011 award winners are: Dame Judi Dench (Theatre/film), one of Britain’s most respected theatre, TV and film actors; Bombay-born British sculptor Anish Kapoor (Sculpture) who has won international acclaim for his work and is now creating the Orbit sculpture for the London 2012 Olympics; Bill Viola (Painting), a pioneer of video art whose work is described as ‘moving paintings’; Ricardo Legorreta (Architecture), Mexico’s leading living architect whose design blends modernism with his country’s own tradition and culture; and Seiji Ozawa (Music), Japan’s most celebrated conductor, who was Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 29 years.

The Praemium Imperiale Grant for Young Artists has been jointly awarded to the Southbank Sinfonia, a young musicians’ orchestra, and the Royal Court Theatre Young Writers Programme, for their remarkable work in nurturing young talent. It is the first time the grant of 5 million yen (c £36,000) has been shared.

Lord Patten, UK’s International Advisor to the Praemium Imperiale and a key figure in the selection for the Grant for Young Artist this year, said: “The five new Laureates have all done great, innovative work in their fields. It’s also a measure of the strength of artistic talent in this country that two of them are British. I’m delighted for them and what they’ve achieved. I’m also delighted that the Grant for Young Artists will be given to these two important young peoples’ organisations”.

The Praemium Imperiale is a global arts prize awarded annually by the Japan Art Association. Since its inauguration in 1989 it has become a mark of the highest international distinction for achievement in the arts. The awards honour individuals from all over the world who have made an outstanding contribution to the development of the arts and are made in five categories – Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Music and Theatre/film. The awards will be presented by Prince Hitachi, Honorary Patron of the Japan Art Association at a ceremony in Tokyo on 19 October 2011. Each Laureate will receive an honorarium of 15 million yen (c. £115,000), a diploma and a medal.

Previous UK and UK-based Laureates include David Hockney, James Stirling, Anthony Caro, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Richard Attenborough, John Gielgud, Peter Brook, Richard Rogers, Tony Cragg, Norman Foster, Bridget Riley, Richard Hamilton, Richard Long, Zaha Hadid, Alfred Brendel and Tom Stoppard.

Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate 2011 Winners image / information received 110711

Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate 2011 winner : Ricardo Legorreta

Location: Tokyo, Japan, eastern Asia