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Who are Currently
the Top-10 Best Selling Contemporary Artists?
According to auction results (July 2007-June
2008), the top-selling contemporary painters and sculptors were as follows:
1. Jeff Koons (b.1955)
2. Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-88)
3. Damien Hirst (b.1965)
4. Richard Prince (b.1949)
5. Zhang Xiaogang (b.1958)
6. Zeng Fanzhi (b.1964)
7. Yue Minjun (b.1962)
8. Takashi Murakami (b.1962)
9. Wang Guangyi, (b.1957)
10. Liu Xiaodong (b.1963)
Note: the above rankings do not take into
account Hirst's September 2008 Sotheby's auction, which raised over £111
million.
What are the Most
Famous Prizes for Contemporary Art?
There are numerous awards given by foundations,
museums and government arts bodies for outstanding works of contemporary
art, in a wide variety of categories. Here is a short selection.
Artes Mundi Prize
Awarded bi-annually at the Artes Mundi Exhibition in Cardiff, Wales, in
recognition of emerging artists from around the world whose work comments
on the human condition and humanity from different cultural perspectives.
Carnegie Art Award
Annual prize for outstanding contemporary painting by artists born or
living in the Nordic countries. Begun in 1998, it offers 3 prizes: of
Swedish Krona 1,000,000, 600,000 and 400,000, as well as a scholarship
of SEK 100,000 to a young artist. Based on nominations by 30 experts on
Nordic contemporary art.
Deutsche Borse Photography Prize
Awarded to a contemporary photographer of any nationality, who has made
the most significant contribution to fine art photography in Europe over
the previous year. Begun in 1996 by The Photographers' Gallery in London
to reward the best of contemporary photography. Prize money is £30,000.
Hugo Boss Prize
Bi-annual award worth US$100,000 - administered by the Guggenheim Museum
- to a contemporary artist (or group of artists) working in any medium,
anywhere in the world. Candidates are selected by a jury of curators,
critics and scholars.
John Moores Painting Prize
Named after the Liverpool philanthropist, this is a bi-annual open painting
competition with shortlisted entries exhibited at the Walker Art Gallery
Liverpool.
Kandinsky Prize
Award to promote outstanding contemporary Russian art, sometimes compared
with the Turner Prize, which honours British contemporary artists. Nominees
are selected by a jury of eminent Russian and international artists and
curators, in addition to a renowned artist.
Larry Aldrich Award
Named after a US philanthropist, this annual $25,000 Prize is administered
by the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum and rewards American artists whose
works have had a significant impact on contemporary visual culture during
recent years. Candidates are short-listed and judged by an independent
jury of artists, collectors, critics, curators, and gallerists.
Marcel Duchamp Prize (Prix Marcel
Duchamp)
This annual award is given to an outstanding young artist residing in
France, involved in any visual arts discipline including painting, sculpture,
installation, photography and video. The winner receives €35,000
personally and a further €30,000 to finance a solo exhibition of
their work in the National Museum of Modern Art at the Georges Pompidou
Centre.
Preis der Nationalgalerie fur Junge
Kunst
Started in 2000 by the Verein der Freunde der Nationalgalerie (Friends
of the National Gallery), this €50,000 prize rewards outstanding
work by a young contemporary artist living in Germany.
Roswitha Haftmann Prize
This award recognizes outstanding achievements in the visual arts, usually
by a living artist. Candidates are selected purely for the artistic significance
of their work, without regard to their nationality, age, or chosen discipline.
The Prize is officially awarded at the Zurich Kunsthaus.
Turner Prize
Named after the distinguished 19th century landscape painter JMW Turner,
this annual prize - begun in 1984 - is awarded to a British visual artist
under 50. Run by the Tate gallery, and hosted at Tate Britain it is now
the most famous art prize in Britain. Latterly, and somewhat controversially,
it has been dominated by conceptual artists. (See below).
Vincent van Gogh Biennial Award for
Contemporary Art in Europe
Awarded every two years to a European artist whom, it is considered, "will
have significant, enduring impact on contemporary art." Instigated
in 2000, and financed by The Broere Charitable Foundation in memory of
Monique Zajfen. Works by selected candidates are shown at the Stedelijk
Museum, Amsterdam and the competition's jury is headed by the director
of the museum.
Wolfgang Hahn Prize
Set up in 1994 by the Gesellschaft für Moderne Kunst and administered
by the Museum Ludwig, in Cologne, this €100,000 prize rewards outstanding
contemporary artists living in Germany.
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