Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate, Architect, Japan Art Association Award Winner News

Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate News

12 Sep 2023

Praemium Imperiale 2023

Architect Francis Kéré wins the 2023 Praemium Imperiale Awards Architecture Laureate, announced by The Japan Art Association and Lord Patten of Barnes, Advisor in UK:

Praemium Imperiale 2023 for Architecture

14 Sep 2021
2021 Praemium Imperiale Awards

18 June 2020

Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate 2020

Coronavirus Pandemic Response

18th of June 2020 – Due to the uncertainties caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Japan Art Association has reluctantly decided to postpone the 32nd Praemium Imperiale’s annual Awards Announcement and Awards Ceremony to next year. This means that the Award’s new laureates will be officially announced in September 2021 instead of September 2020 and the Awards Ceremony will take place in October 2021. Subsequently, the 33rd Praemium Imperiale Awards Announcement and Awards Ceremony will be held in 2022.

This is the first time in the history of the Awards that such a postponement has happened and it reflects the widely-held concern that the current indications are that it is likely that the world will still be in turmoil in September and October as a result of the pandemic. In these circumstances, the Japan Art Association does not feel that it would be appropriate to gather their International Advisors, Laureates and distinguished guests in Tokyo; everyone’s safety is of paramount importance.

Lord Patten of Barnes, International Advisor in the UK commented, “Over the 31 years of the Awards, there have been many moments, as a result of wars or natural disasters, where we have had cause to pause and reflect but there has never been a time when we have faced such an enormous global challenge as we have with Covid-19.

We cannot ignore the damage, the anxiety and the great uncertainty that this pandemic has brought to people in all nations and it would be wrong for us, at this moment, to proceed as if everything is normal. It is deeply regrettable, but our global focus this year must be on defeating the virus and helping those whose lives have been inexorably altered.”

The Japan Art Association hopes that the Praemium Imperiale events in Autumn 2021, including the Announcement in September and the Awards Ceremony in October, will provide welcome opportunities to once again mark and celebrate the central role of the Arts in our lives; important for healing and uniting the people of the world, transcending national boundaries and differences of race, gender and language.

Previously on e-architect:

Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate Past Winners

13 Sep 2016

Paulo Mendes da Rocha wins Praemium Imperiale 2016 for Architecture

The Japan Art Association has today announced the recipients of the 2016 Praemium Imperiale Awards:

Praemium Imperiale 2016 for Architecture

Architect Dominique Perrault wins Praemium Imperiale 2015 for Architecture

Praemium Imperiale 2015 for Architecture

17 Sep 2013

David Chipperfield wins Praemium Imperiale 2015 for Architecture

Architectural Laureate of the Praemium Imperiale 2013

photo © Nick Knight

David Chipperfield is announced as the Architectural Laureate for the 2013 edition of the Japan Art Association’s Praemium Imperiale. The award will be presented by HIH Prince Hitachi, brother of Emperor Akihito, at a ceremony in Tokyo on 16 October 2013.

David Chipperfield Architect

12 Sep 2012

Henning Larsen wins Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate 2012

PRAEMIUM IMPERIALE AWARDS 2012 ANNOUNCED

Today, The Japan Art Association announced the names of this year’s Praemium Imperiale Laureates:

Painting: Cai Guo-Qiang

Sculpture: Cecco Bonanotte

Architecture: Henning Larsen

Music: Philip Glass

Theatre/Film: Yoko Morishita

The Praemium Imperiale is a global arts prize awarded annually by the Japan Art Association. Now in its 24th year, 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.

photo : Agnete Schlichtkrull

The awards will be presented by Prince Hitachi, Honorary Patron of the Japan Art Association, the younger brother of the Emperor of Japan, at a ceremony in Tokyo in October. Each Laureate will receive an honorarium of 15 million yen (c. £115,000), a diploma and a medal – making the Awards globally the most substantial.

The list of major artists selected this year includes Cai Guo-Quiang, the brilliantly innovative Chinese artist who created the memorable ‘Footprints in the Sky’ works for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics – so appropriate for this Olympic year. He is the first Chinese Praemium Imperiale Laureate.

Henning Larsen

image from architects

Henning Larsen, the great Scandinavian architect responsible for so many outstanding, light-filled buildings both in his native Scandinavia but also in the Middle East, is another first – the first Danish Laureate for Praemium Imperiale.

This year, the Music Category has been given to Philip Glass – one of the most influential composers of the modern period and well known to many for his collaborations with musicians as diverse as Ravi Shankar, David Bowie, Brian Eno and Leonard Cohen.

The Japanese ballet dancer, Yoko Morishita in the category of Theatre/Film and the Italian sculptor, Cecco Bonanotte in the category of Sculpture further emphasis the rich diversity of these awards.

Lord Patten of Barnes, UK’s International Advisor to the Praemium Imperiale Awards says, “ it is fitting that, in this Olympic year, one of the artists who contributed so much to the Beijing Olympics be honoured. But let’s not forget that Anish Kapoor and Zaha Hadid who have made a major impression on the London Olympics, are also members of the very exclusive club of past Praemium Imperiale Laureates (Anish Kapoor 2011 and Zaha Hadid 2009)”.

Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate Archive

Ricardo Legorreta wins Praemium Imperiale in 2011

photograph of Ricardo Legorreta from B&Q
Praemium Imperiale 2011

architect Ricardo Legorreta

Toyo Ito wins Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate for 2010

photograph © 2007 Deborah Bullen
Praemium Imperiale 2010

architect Toyo Ito

Zaha Hadid wins Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate for 2009

picture from architects
Praemium Imperiale 2009

architect Zaha Hadid

Location: Tokyo, Japan, Asia

Praemium Imperiale – Background Information

Praemium Imperiale

The Praemium Imperiale was established in 1988 to mark the centennial of the Japan Art Association and to honour the wish of the late Prince Takamatsu, its Honorary Patron for 58 years, “to contribute to enhancing and promoting the cultures and arts of the world”. As well as honouring five international artists each year, it also gives a grant to a Young Artists group, who nurture young talent.

Japan Art Association

The Japan Art Association is the oldest cultural foundation in Japan, established in 1887. It runs the Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo, and organizes and holds art exhibitions. Prince Hitachi, younger brother of the Emperor, has been its Honorary Patron since 1987. The Association has presented five Praemium Imperiale Awards every year since 1989.