The 37th Praemium Imperiale ceremony is due in Tokyo this week, with laureates Jenny Holzer, Andy Goldsworthy, Daniel Libeskind, Herbert Blomstedt and Cate Blanchett; Hillary Clinton, the prize's US advisor, is in Japan for the event.
The 37th Praemium Imperiale awards ceremony is due to take place on Wednesday at Meiji Kinenkan in Tokyo, ARTnews reports. The prize's laureates were announced on 8 September: Jenny Holzer for painting, Andy Goldsworthy for sculpture, Daniel Libeskind for architecture, Herbert Blomstedt for music and Cate Blanchett for theatre and film, according to the prize's official website.
The prize's website describes Holzer as an American conceptual artist known for text works on LED signs and billboards, whose early Truisms series (1977–79) led to a Golden Lion at the 1990 Venice Biennale. Goldsworthy is a land artist working with natural materials from Penpont, Scotland; Libeskind is known for architecture that evokes cultural memory, after winning the 1989 competition for the Jewish Museum Berlin. Blomstedt, a conductor admired for precise, clear interpretations, led the Staatskapelle Dresden from 1975, while Blanchett is known for Elizabeth and for her Oscars for The Aviator and Blue Jasmine.
ARTnews says each laureate receives 15 million yen (about $95,160), a testimonial letter and a medal presented by Prince Hitachi, honorary patron of the Japan Art Association. Hillary Clinton, the prize's US international advisor since 2022, is in Japan for the ceremony and visited Naoshima Island on Monday, where she posed with Yayoi Kusama's pumpkin sculptures. A notice on the prize's website dated 14 October says Blomstedt will not attend the ceremony and that someone will accept the prize on his behalf.
