Princess celebrates laureates of 2024 Praemium Imperiale at ceremony in Tokyo

TOKYO: November 19, 2024 – Her Imperial Highness Princess Hitachi paid homage to the laurates of the 2024 Praemium Imperiale on behalf of His Imperial Highness Hitachi Prince Hitachi, honorary patron of the Japan Art Association, at the Awards Ceremony held at the The Okura Tokyo on November  19, 2024.

The ceremony began with opening remarks from Mr. Hisashi Hieda, Chairman of the Japan Art Association. This was followed by congratulatory speeches from International Advisors, Lord Patten of Barnes (UK), Mr. Jean-Pierre Raffarin (France), Mr. Lamberto Dini (Italy), Prof. Klaus-Dieter Lehmann (Germany) and Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton (USA).

Princess Hitachi gave each laureate their medal, and the Trustees of the Japan Art Association presented them with their Testimonial Letters and the 15 million-yen Honorariums.

The 2024 laureates are Sophie Calle, Painting (France); Doris Salcedo, Sculpture (Columbia); Shigeru Ban, Architecture (Japan); Maria João Pires, Music (Portugal/Switzerland) and Ang Lee, Theatre/Film (Taiwan).

As this year marked the 35th anniversary, four Laureates  from the past five years also came to attend. They were Sebastião Salgado, 2021 Painting; Olafur Eliasson, 2023 Sculpture; Diébédo Francis Kéré, 2023 Architecture and Robert Wilson, 2023 Theater and Film.