The Hugo Boss Prize was an award given every other year to an artist (or group of artists) working in any medium, anywhere in the world. Upon its establishment in 1996, it distinguished itself from other art awards because it has no restrictions on nationality or age.[1] The prize was administered by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and sponsored by the Hugo Boss clothing company, which since 1995 has been sponsoring various exhibitions and activities at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.[2] It included a cash award of US$100,000 and a tetrahedral trophy.
A jury of five to six curators, critics, and scholars was responsible for the selection of the artists. They nominated six or seven artists for the shortlist; several months later, they chose the winner of the prize. In the prize's early years, most nominated artists were little known.[1] In 1996 and 1998, the nominated artists exhibited their work at the now-defunct Guggenheim Soho, where a space on the second floor was named the Hugo Boss Gallery in 1996;[3] since 2000, only the winning artist has shown his or her work. The Guggenheim Foundation discontinued the prize in 2022.[4][5]
History of the Prize
1996
The first Hugo Boss Prize was awarded to Matthew Barney, an American filmmaker and sculptor. The other nominees were:
2000
The third Hugo Boss Prize went to Marjetica Potrč, a Slovenian artist, architect and urban theorist working in sculpture and photography. The other nominees were:
2004
The fifth Hugo Boss Prize was awarded to Rirkrit Tiravanija, a Thai artist born in Buenos Aires who now works in New York, Berlin and Bangkok. The other nominees were:
The eighth Hugo Boss Prize was awarded to the German artist Hans-Peter Feldmann who chose to pin the prize money to the walls of the Guggenheim.[6] The other nominees were:
In March 2014, nominee Steve McQueen withdrew his name from consideration for the Hugo Boss Prize because of the demands of promoting his Oscar-winning movie 12 Years A Slave.[8]
2016
The eleventh Hugo Boss prize was awarded to the South Korean conceptual artist Anicka Yi. The other nominees were: