Praemium Imperiale


The Praemium Imperiale is an international art prize inaugurated in 1988 and awarded since 1989 by the Imperial family of Japan on behalf of the Japan Art Association in the fields of painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and theatre/film.
The prize consists of a gold medal and 15 million Japanese yen, and was created by the Fujisankei Communications Group, which pays the expenses of around $3 million per year. The prizes are awarded for outstanding contributions to the development, promotion and progress of the arts.

Information

The Praemium Imperiale is awarded in the memory of Prince Takamatsu, younger brother of Emperor Shōwa who reigned from 1926 through 1989. Prince Takamatsu was famous for his longtime support of the development, promotion and progress of arts in the world.
The laureates are announced each September; the prize presentation ceremony and related events are held in Tokyo, Japan, each November. The prize presentation ceremony is held in the presence of His Imperial Highness Prince Hitachi, President of the Japan Art Association, at the in Tokyo. Prince Hitachi presents the prizes to the selected laureates. The prize consists of a gold medal and 15 million Japanese yen, and was created by the Fujisankei Communications Group, which pays the expenses of around $3 million per year.
The laureates are annually recommended by international advisers, and decided by an anonymous committee of the Japan Art Association. The advisers include Yasuhiro Nakasone, William H. Luers, Lamberto Dini, François Pinault, Chris Patten, and Klaus-Dieter Lehmann. Honorary advisers included Jacques Chirac, David Rockefeller, David Rockefeller Jr., Helmut Schmidt and Richard von Weizsäcker.

Table of laureates

YearPaintingSculptureArchitectureMusicFilm/Theater
1989Willem de Kooning
and David Hockney		Umberto MastroianniI. M. PeiPierre BoulezMarcel Carné
1990Antoni TàpiesArnaldo PomodoroJames StirlingLeonard BernsteinFederico Fellini
1991BalthusEduardo ChillidaGae AulentiGyörgy LigetiIngmar Bergman
1992Pierre SoulagesAnthony CaroFrank GehryAlfred SchnittkeAkira Kurosawa
1993Jasper JohnsMax BillKenzo TangeMstislav RostropovichMaurice Béjart
1994Zao Wou-kiRichard SerraCharles CorreaHenri DutilleuxJohn Gielgud
1995Roberto MattaChristoRenzo PianoAndrew Lloyd WebberNakamura Utaemon VI
1996Cy TwomblyCésarTadao AndoLuciano BerioAndrzej Wajda
1997Gerhard RichterGeorge SegalRichard MeierRavi ShankarPeter Brook
1998Robert RauschenbergDani KaravanÁlvaro SizaSofia GubaidulinaRichard Attenborough
1999Anselm KieferLouise BourgeoisFumihiko MakiOscar PetersonPina Bausch
2000Ellsworth KellyNiki de Saint PhalleRichard RogersHans Werner HenzeStephen Sondheim
2001Lee UfanMarta PanJean NouvelOrnette ColemanArthur Miller
2002Sigmar PolkeGiuliano VangiNorman FosterDietrich Fischer-DieskauJean-Luc Godard
2003Bridget RileyMario MerzRem KoolhaasClaudio AbbadoKen Loach
2004Georg BaselitzBruce NaumanOscar NiemeyerKrzysztof PendereckiAbbas Kiarostami
2005Robert RymanIssey MiyakeYoshio TaniguchiMartha ArgerichMerce Cunningham
2006Yayoi KusamaChristian BoltanskiFrei OttoSteve ReichMaya Plisetskaya
2007Daniel BurenTony CraggHerzog & de MeuronDaniel BarenboimEllen Stewart
2008Richard HamiltonIlya and Emilia KabakovPeter ZumthorZubin MehtaSakata Tōjūrō
2009Hiroshi SugimotoRichard LongZaha HadidAlfred BrendelTom Stoppard
2010Enrico CastellaniRebecca HornToyo ItoMaurizio PolliniSophia Loren
2011Bill ViolaAnish KapoorRicardo LegorretaSeiji OzawaJudi Dench
2012Cai Guo-QiangCecco BonanotteHenning LarsenPhilip GlassYoko Morishita
2013Michelangelo PistolettoAntony GormleyDavid ChipperfieldPlácido DomingoFrancis Ford Coppola
2014Martial RaysseGiuseppe PenoneSteven HollArvo PärtAthol Fugard
2015Tadanori YokooWolfgang LaibDominique PerraultMitsuko UchidaSylvie Guillem
2016Cindy ShermanAnnette MessagerPaulo Mendes da RochaGidon KremerMartin Scorsese
2017Shirin NeshatEl AnatsuiRafael MoneoYoussou N'DourMikhail Baryshnikov
2018Pierre AlechinskyFujiko NakayaChristian de PortzamparcRiccardo MutiCatherine Deneuve
2019William KentridgeMona HatoumTod Williams and Billie TsienAnne-Sophie MutterBando Tamasaburo
2020No awardNo awardNo awardNo awardNo award
2021Sebastião SalgadoJames TurrellGlenn MurcuttYo-Yo MaNo recipient
2022Giulio PaoliniAi WeiweiKazuyo Sejima and Ryue NishizawaKrystian ZimermanWim Wenders
2023Vija CelminsOlafur EliassonDiébédo Francis KéréWynton MarsalisRobert Wilson
2024Sophie CalleDoris SalcedoShigeru BanMaria João PiresAng Lee
2025Peter DoigMarina AbramovićEduardo Souto de MouraAndrás SchiffAnne Teresa De Keersmaeker

Grants for Young Artists

Since 1997, a series of grants have been made to organizations which nourish young artists.