Covid also cancels Praemium Imperiale: 32nd Art Oscars postponed until 2021

It is one of the most prestigious art prizes in the world, so much so that many call it “the Oscars of art”: the Praemium Imperiale is, in short, one of the most coveted awards in five fields of the visual arts (painting, sculpture, architecture, music and film/theater), and one that since the year of its first edition (1989) has been the preserve of some of the greatest artists of recent years: from Willem de Kooning to Federico Fellini, from Christo to Antoni Tapiès, from Richard Serra to Ingmar Bergman, from Renzo Piano to Cy Twombly, from Enrico Castellani to Daniel Baremboim, from Rem Koolhas to William Kentridge, and the list could go on and on.

Unfortunately, however, in 2020 the award will not be there: this is the first time the Praemium Imperiale has skipped, and that is because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Indeed, the Japan Art Association, which has always organized the award, has reluctantly decided to postpone the 32nd edition of the Praemium Imperiale to 2021. The names will thus be officially announced in September 2021, and the award ceremony will be held in October 2021, as usual in Tokyo.

The decision to postpone the 32nd edition, the organization points out, reflects the widely held fear that, based on current forecasts, the world will probably still face a pandemic in September and October. Under these circumstances, for the sake of everyone’s safety, the Japan Art Association does not consider it appropriate to gather the International Councilors, winners and distinguished guests in Tokyo.

“We hope that by autumn 2021 the world will have recovered from the global crisis and overcome the threat of Covid-19,” the Japan Art Association hopes in a note. “We hope the Praemium Imperiale events, including the announcement in September and the award ceremony in October, will be a welcome opportunity to celebrate the central role of the Arts in our lives: important to the well-being and unity of the world’s people, across national boundaries and differences in race, gender and language.”

Any information about the award can be found on the official website.

Pictured: a photograph from the 2019 award ceremony.

Covid also cancels Praemium Imperiale: 32nd Art Oscars postponed until 2021

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