PRAEMIUM IMPERIALE INTERNATIONAL ARTS AWARD CELEBRATED IN TOKYO BY JAPAN’S PRINCE AND PRINCESS HITACHI & 2018 AWARD RECIPIENTS ON 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF PRESTIGIOUS PRIZE

Conductor Riccardo Muti, Considered a “Maestro among Maestros” & Catherine Deneuve, a Legendary Actress of International Film, are Among Laureates

Pierre Alechinsky, Fujiko Nakaya, and Christian de Portzamparc also received prize

At a ceremony in Tokyo on October 23, His Imperial Highnesses Prince Hitachi, honorary patron of the Japan Art Association, and Princess Hitachi paid homage to the laurates of the organization’s 2018 Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award. They are Pierre Alechinsky, Painting (Belgium/France); Fujiko Nakaya, Sculpture (Japan); Christian de Portzamparc, Architecture (France); Riccardo Muti, Music (Italy); and Catherine Deneuve, Theatre/Film (France).

Before the awards ceremony, a special reception to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Praemium Imperiale was held on the same day in the presence of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress and HIH Prince and Princess Hitachi.

Now in 30th year, the Praemium Imperiale is the world's most prestigious international prize in the fields of Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Music, and Theatre/Film. It has become a powerful voice for the importance of culture in today’s world, bringing international attention to the arts in much the same way as the Nobel Prize brings attention to the sciences.

At the Tokyo ceremony each laureate received a specially-designed gold medal, a testimonial letter from Prince Hitachi and a check for 15 million yen (approximately $136,000). Representing Mr. Alechinsky at the ceremony was Michel Draquet, Director, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.
The 2018 laureates join a roster of 149 artists, including Martha Argerich, Ingmar Bergman, Leonard Bernstein, Peter Brook, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Anthony Caro, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Judi Dench, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Norman Foster, Athol Fugard, Frank Gehry, Philip Glass, Zaha Hadid, Jean-Luc Godard, David  Hockney, Willem de Kooning, Akira Kurosawa, Yossou N’Dour, Shirin Neshat, Arvo Pärt, Renzo Piano, Maya Plisetskaya, Robert Rauschenberg, Mstislav Rostropovich, Martin Scorsese, Ravi Shankar, Cindy Sherman, and Ellen Stewart.
The Praemium Imperiale was created in 1988 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Japan Art Association and to honor the late Prince Takamatsu, who was the Association’s honorary patron for almost six decades. The Association chooses the winners based on the recommendations of individual International Advisors in England, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and the United States. Each advisor is guided by the recommendations of a nominating committee comprising cultural leaders from his home country.  The International Advisors are leading figures with a deep interest or involvement in the arts.

For information about the Japan Art Association and the Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award, please visit www.PraemiumImperiale.org.
The Japan Art Association was created in 1879, on the advice of the Meiji Emperor, to encourage Japanese artists and to forge relations with other countries through arts. The organization and its Ueno Royal Museum have played an active role in Japan’s cultural life, presenting exhibitions of traditional arts and art from abroad. In 1988, on its 100th anniversary, the Association created the Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award in honor of the late Prince Takamatsu, who had served as honorary patron for 58 years.